Pony Express Marathon 2016 (#PEM2016) ambassador, baby!

Pony Express Marathon 2016 (#PEM2016) ambassador, baby!

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A bit of a delay to posting this super fun news, but I’m totally stoked to announce that I’ve been selected to be an ambassador for the inaugural Pony Express Marathon (and half marathon, marathon relay, and 5k), scheduled for May 1, 2016, in California’s capital, Sacramento!

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I’m really excited about this opportunity for all the obvious reasons (I like to run, I like to support new races, and so on) but also because like other social media race ambassador opportunities I’ve participated in since moving to California, I’ve been able to begin to “meet” many other CA-based runners (and Wes from Seattle), some of whom I already know from other race ambassador programs. These people are just great! Ah, running community, you are awesome.

Sacramento is a bit of a haul from SJ — maybe a couple hours, couple hours and change, depending on traffic’s level of “awful” — but I’m excited to run in a new-to-me place in CA in a year-ish from now. You might recall that I was supposed to run CIM ’14, which starts in Folsom and ends in Sacramento, and was actually signed up for it, but opted to bail for some family conflicts and instead ran the 50k in Woodside. That just means that PEM will be my introduction to Sactown (which I’m not sure if anyone there calls it that, but I heard 2pac say it in “California Love,” so I’m just rollin’ with it). Anyway, you should totally come with; with all the different race distances, it really looks like it’ll be one of those inclusive, “something for everyone” race weekends. Win, win, win!

In the months leading up to the race, some Sacramento breweries are also releasing some special beers to help promote the PEM as well as “9run6,” (a play on the Sacramento area code, 916), a free, fitness-focused group that Chris leads, so I hope to be able to make it out to some of these beer-y promo events … though we’ll see how life with a newborn fares (ahem). At the very least, I’m shooting for the first event in July (7/31)! Details forthcoming!

PEM beer 1

I’d love to say that I’m committing to running the PEM 26.2 in 2016 — because how awesome would it be to run an inaugural marathon?! — but it’ll all depend on how postpartum life fares. By race weekend, I’ll be about 9 months-ish out, but the whole labor and delivery and having a newborn/infant thing can be a little unpredictable, so I’ll make the call later as to which event I’ll do. You’ll see me there for race weekend, though!

And of course, I have a discount code to share for #PEM2016 — AMGRUNS#PEM16 — for $10 off. Who loves ya!?

Hope to see you in Sacramento on May 1!

FitFest at Title Nine (#T9FitFest)– and a bra giveaway for you!

FitFest at Title Nine (#T9FitFest)– and a bra giveaway for you!

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Hello from the midwest — land of high humidity, super green grass, NO DROUGHT, and (most of) my family!

cousin!
cousin!
more cousins!
more cousins!

I was pretty surprised– and pretty excited– when Title Nine (T9), a women’s activewear and bra company, contacted me a few weeks ago to see if I’d be interested in participating in their 2015 Bra FitFest in the Bay Area. Though I had heard of T9, both from when I lived in Chicago and since relocating to CA, I had never actually shopped there. Among other things, T9 is known for their extensive bra offerings (sports bras, day-to-day bras, and lots in between), but I never felt like I needed to shop at such a nice store for my undergarments because those $15 sportsbras from Target (or those 2-for$20 offerings from Costco, or hell, *cough* those bras I might still have from high school or college 100 years ago *cough*) worked juuuuuuuust fine.

Well, please let me tell you a little secret: when you get pregnant, and consequently, when you breastfeed, your knockers go all sorts of wild. A-cup before? Bring on the Ds (plus)! Cheapy-cheap bras worked ok before? Kiss those babies goodbye!

So, yeah… it was pretty serendipitous timing that T9 contacted me right in the beginning of my third trimester because a) I’m pretty sure my boobs are growing still, b) once I begin breastfeeding, they’re only going to get even bigger, and c) I should probably stop wearing those cheapy-cheap guys I keep talking about when I run 30+ weeks pregnant and several cup sizes bigger than norm if I want my boobs to *not* hit my knees when I’m 32.

A and I headed over to the T9 store in Los Gatos for a fitting (me, not her). I had no idea what I was looking for — something more everyday or something specifically for running — and furthermore, I didn’t know if it’d make more sense to get a bra that’d fit my pregnant/breastfeeding boobs or the normal-sized gals. The T9 staff was super attentive, super patient, and super knowledgeable as they helped me figure out how things were fitting versus how they should be fitting and which type of bra made the most sense for my purposes. By the end of my fitting session, I kid you not, I am pretty sure I tried on at least 30 different bras.

Ultimately, I ended up with this gem from Moving Comfort because I’d be able to wear it now (very pregnant), running (pregnant and postpartum), and breastfeeding — the latter being the real kicker since the bra features nursing bra-like clasps and flip-down cups (and if you’ve ever BF, you know that having a good nursing bra is priceless). To be honest, I don’t think I’ve ever tried on or merely *thought* about bras as much as I did during the fitting I had at T9. To boot, from what I’ve felt on runs so far, the bra fits great and has had minimal chafing (big win!).

While I’m sure you’re extremely happy for me and my breasts (thanks!), I am bantering on and on about my boobs and my bra fitting experience because T9 wants you to come on out to one of their FitFests at a local store — so you, too, can ensure that you’re wearing a bra that makes sense for your purposes — and best of all, they are providing my readers with a giveaway for a free bra! How awesome is that (my first blog giveaway!)?!

First, here are the details about the FitFests:

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The idea behind the FitFest events is that the T9 bra experts want to make the whole process easier and more fun. They’ll help you find your perfect bra — based on your unique body shape, size, and activity–  and therefore, get you goin’ toward a more comfortable existence (yay!) and workout (double yay!). T9’s FitFest events entail:

  • Personalized bra fitting advice from a “bravangelist” expert
  • An expanded assortment of bras (including nursing bras for my pregnant or breastfeeding mama athletes out there!)
  • Bras for sports, work-to-workout, everyday and date night
  • A “Bounce-ath-a-lon” for those who want to put Title Nine’s bras to the test, with stations like hula hoop, jump rope, run around the block, & burpees

Anyone interested in participating at a FitFest should RSVP at a local T9; I’ve screenshot the locations and events below. Go to the titlenine website to RSVP!

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And! If the FitFest stuff isn’t enough, they’re also hosting a giveaway for one of my readers! It’s open to anyone in the US and includes a personalized fitting (in-store or over the phone, in case you’re not near a T9 store), along with one comped bra (really awesome!!).

To enter the giveaway, please leave me a comment below by Friday, June 19, telling me why this awesome opportunity is the right fit for you (get it… fit… bra… I am so clever…). My independent panel of judges will decide the winner, and I’ll notify you via email if you’re the lucky one.

For more information about T9 via social media:

Let’s have some fun with this! And thank you, T9, for the great opportunity!

Goes without saying, but the views expressed here are my own. T9 comped my bra, and it rocks, and I was really impressed with this company and their service and thus want to recommend them to you. If you can make it out to a FitFest, I’d encourage you to go for it, and even if you can’t, definitely check out T9 next time you’re in the market for a bra.