LaceLocker Winner

Congrats to the winner of the US Flag LaceLocker system!  The winner is Jenn Schmidt Powell!  Thanks to everyone that entered.  My review of the LaceLocker system will be coming soon.  I will also have a review of an ID Band system that is new to me.

Until next time, keep those beats coming!

LaceLocker Giveaway

So, I know that we've all had issues at some point in time with our shoe laces coming untied.  The worst time for something like that to happen would be when you were doing something physically active like running.  Just imagine running along and then you trip because your shoes came untied.  So, to help with this Carol from Stash Sports brings to us the LaceLocker.

The LaceLocker motto is "Tie, Stow and Go!"  Once you've installed your LaceLocker on your show you simply tie your laces like normal. Then you Stow them in the LaceLocker system and GO!

I'll be sporting my US Flag LaceLocker on my runs for Independence Day!  If you want to get your own US Flag LaceLocker system enter below.

Check out the installation video below to see how easy they are to install.

You can find Stash Sports online at the following:

• Stash Sports Website
• LaceLocker Website
• LaceLocker on YouTube
• Stash Sports on Twitter
• LaceLocker on Twitter
• LaceLocker on Google+

a Rafflecopter giveaway

*Disclaimer: Sample US Flag LaceLockers were provided to me (and the winner) free of charge from Stash Sports.  No compensation was provided other than the sample systems.

Until next time, keep those beats coming!

Spring Update, Day Before Lincoln Marathon

I know I have not been posting on the regular for a while.  If you've been following the blog (when I've posted) or have been following the Dreadmill Drummer Facebook page you know then you know that I have the Lincoln Marathon coming up tomorrow, Sunday May 3rd, 2015.  Those that have been following long enough know that I attempted the very same course last year.  You also know that I had a DNF for that run.  I guess that I technically didn't since I was able to finish the half marathon.  That being said, I fully intend on finishing the full 26.2 miles this year.

Like last year I am running this for an amazing charity that is helping folks affected by Pancreatic Cancer.  They are Project Purple.  Or, as they would word it....we are Project Purple.  You can read more about them on their site (http://www.run4projectpurple.org) or on my post from January HERE.  I am actually leaving home here in about an hour to visit the Runner's Expo Prior to volunteering at the Project Purple booth from 3 PM until it's time to go to the Celebration and Awards dinner tonight.  You can still donate to help fight with Project Purple by visiting http://www.crowdrise.com/DreadmillDrummerPP2015.

2014 Project Purple Team dinner

I have learned that The Lincoln Track Club has redone the way everyone starts this year.  They are still doing a waved approach, but they've ordered everyone based on their expected finish time.  I've been assigned the slowest wave and have been assigned to get a purple bib.  We all know that I run at a turtle's pace.  So, I'm okay with this.  And how fitting that my bib is purple as I am once again running for Project Purple this year.  If you would like to track my my bib number is 11,598.  There is an app from the Lincoln Track Club that you can download from Google Play or the App Store.  It allows you to check out the course and track runners.

Testing out my Project Purple singlet at work.

This year I'm going to be running with a couple folks from the Blackshirt Spartans fitness family.  That should prove to help me in the motivation department if I start to waiver.

Being a BioSkin Ambassador I'm really going to enjoy the Calf Sleeves that I have on this long distance.  They have helped me both on long runs and in recovery during training.  So, they'll help me on race day.  I also purchased a new Orange Mud Double HydraQuiver to help with hydration during the run.  Some would ask, "Do you really need it? Don't they have aid stations?"  They do, but I sweat A LOT when I run.  So, naturally I drink a lot of fluids too. They also have compartments for my phone and gels that I'll "need" along the way.

Until next time, keep those beats coming!

Safely Running in a New Environment

Welcome to a new week Drummers!  I hope all of your training is going good.  Mine has its up and its downs.  And I'm not just talking about the hills!  Last weekend I was out of my comfort zone.  I was in a different city and had to look up where I could run by our hotel.  Luckily it was only about 1/3 of a mile to the nearest trail system.  So, I figured that I would plan to hit the fitness center on Saturday and the trails on Sunday.

On Saturday I ran on the treadmill for a mile and did 4.5 miles on the bike to get some cross training in.  I was hoping to run longer, but there was something not right about it.  The dreadmill felt broke and I just felt worn out, but then did fine on the bike. You can see to the left that I'm struggling to smile as I start to do the bike.  I even wore my Lincoln Marathon shirt from last year for some inspiration.

On Sunday I took to the trails.  I had glanced at the trails and looked at which ones went which direction and even checked which ones I thought might be safer since I was out pretty early.  So, come morning I got up and got ready to face the unknown....slightly planned out.  As you can see I knew I was planning on running 8 miles so I wore my awesome (yes I am biased) Bioskin calf sleeves.  I'm really glad that I did considering the fact that the wind was a nightmare.  So, they helped me prevent injury during training and they also helped to shield my legs from the wind.  An unintended benefit, I'm sure.  Well, since I didn't quite know where I was going I only got in a 6.57 miles.  I had to keep checking the signs to make sure that I was going the way I had planned.  On the return it was much quicker.  It took me an hour to do the first 3 1/4 miles and just 39 minutes to do the return.  Still slower than I wanted to be, but I'll take it.  As I was running along I started enjoying the trail.  As you can see below there were a few bridges to run under.  I didn't take pictures of all of them, but there were a lot.  The second bridge picture (6th total) below was towards the end of the out and back.  It goes underground for around 100 meters.  It was pretty cool.  They have a sign right before you enter to not enter if there has been a heavy rain because the trail will be flooded.

Even the paper towel machine
knows that I'm Marathon training!

So, all of this got me thinking about safety.  I could have taken a few more precautions than I did to keep safe.  I'll lay out some of the guidelines that I followed, and a few that I didn't and I'm not admitting to what I did/did not follow.

• Be sure to have ID of some sort.  I wore my Road ID, that I almost forgot.  State issued ID will work if you can carry it.
• Carry a small amount of money ($10 or $20) just in case.
• If you are running in the dark be sure to wear reflective clothing, even if you are running somewhere there won't be cars.
• Another tip for running in the dark would be to wear a headlamp.
• Find a running partner or a running group to run with.  Even if you are out of town you can probably find one by contacting a local running outlet.
• Make sure someone knows the route you plan to run.  Even though I use the "Live Tracking" feature of my route tracker it is better that someone knows where you intend on running.
• Make sure you are prepared for the weather that you will be running in.  That means thermal gear for cold, waterproof jacket for rain, and such.

YOUR TURN TO INPUT: What tips do you have for safely running?

Don't forget, my Project Purple fundraiser is still going on and you can still win the Fitbit or the Runners Fuel Box.  You can enter below after donating to my Crowdrise at https://www.crowdrise.com/DreadmillDrummerPP2015.  You can check out the main post at http://bit.ly/PurpleGiveaway.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Until next time, keep those beats coming!