More Patagonia: Torres del Paine National Park

From Punta Arenas we headed on a 5 hour van ride to our next destination, Patagonia Camp.

When we started planning this trip, our goal was a trip that was in South America and had great hiking.  We went back in forth between Machu Picchu and somewhere in Patagonia. 

When I saw Patagonia Camp, the decision was easy.

We planned the entire trip around availability at Patagonia Camp and it was the best decision.

Patagonia Camp is an "all-inclusive" glamping experience.  It consist of 18 private yurts along side Lago Toro, just outside the national park.  I had requested the closest to the lake which was so beautiful and remote. 

Each day, you can choose between three different excursions the camp offers.  You are set up with a driver, an english speaking guide, a packed lunch and head out for the day.  I was impressed with the guides' flexibility and strong desire to keep everyone happy.  Jason and I arrived at the same time as 3 other couples who were not as interested in strenuous hiking.  I was worried we wouldn't get the chance to have the excurtions we had hoped for.  In fact, the opposite was true.  Two of our three days we had completely PRIVATE treks.  Just Jay and I and a guide!  The other groups were happy, as well, they went horseback riding, fishing, on wildlife hikes in addition to trekking.

Even though it was just the two of us, they still set us up a fabulous picnic between our two hikes each day.  Wine, cheese, sandwiches, soup, dessert and an entire cooler of soft drinks, beer, water. 
This is my kind of trekking.

 Don't let me fool you.  These hikes were no joke.  I could barely walk by the end of our third day.  I was panting, sweaty and sucking down the water on the way up each of the climbs.  The reward was unfathomable serenity at the summit and a great feeling of satisfaction.
I found myself trying to memorize every single moment of each day and each detail of what I was taking in!

Day One we planned the Lago Grey walk and were hoping to take a boat ride or kayak along the glaciers.  The hike was about 1.5 hours in total and flat.  It was super windy and rainy, so still somewhat treacherous.  It was so worth it to see my first iceberg.  Sadly, since the wind was so strong, the kayaking and boat trips were cancelled.  Our guide, Rod, let us pick what we would do for the second activity of the day.

We decided to hike to Salta Grande, which was a beautiful waterfall.  It was so windy, I honestly thought I might fall over the edge.  Rod had some chocolate candy for us and breakfast bars for snacks, which was a fun surprise.

The second day was insane.  We again had a private guide, by luck.  We found out later it was because no one else was as crazy as us to try one of the two "high" difficulty hikes in the park.  I don't know who I thought I was.  Mirador Ferrier was 700 meters verticle in just 2 hours of hiking.   Imagine the most steep mountain side you can.  This was worse.  But it was AMAZING and the 2 hour decent was much less stressful and allowed for taking in the view all the way down.

After a nice picnic lunch we headed to Lago Pehoe for the Condor lookout.  This was about 2 hours total.  It was not nearly as steep.  We saw condors flying and gaunacos wandering around.  From the top we had an excellent view of the perfectly still turquoise lake surrounded by mountains.

The third day was the grand finale.  The Base of Torres del Paine.  This is the main hike of "The W" that people come to the park to hike.  It is 8+ hours in total, so no nice picnic that day.  We carried sandwiches and water in our backpack.  This day we had a group of 8, the youngest a 13 year old boy from Santiago, the oldest a 70ish man from England.  They both kicked my butt.  We hiked up a steep mountainside, through a forest and then above the treeline.  Above the treeline the "path" was really a bunch of unsteady boulders on the side of a cliff.  It was an experience, that's for sure.  But I never felt unsafe.  And when we reached the top and found this, it was well worth the journey.

I should mention that the end of each day of hiking we returned to the dining area, celebrated our accomplishments with pisco sours before sitting for dinner.  We made great friends with the 3 couples who arrived the same day as we did, I hope we will stay in touch.  We also met a group of 6 Americans and 2 British people, after dinner we stayed until the bar closed each night and had one hell of a time.  I don't think Patagonia Camp had bargained on our group when the said "all inclusive."

I am so grateful that I had the opportunity to experience this portion of our trip.  I have a feeling these three days will always be among the best memories of my life.

Ironman Wisconsin 2013 Race Report

 The night before Ironman Wisconsin, I went to dinner with a small group.  One glass of wine quickly became 2.5, to help me sleep of course.  I watched the Michigan v ND game until half time.  I was pretty pumped up, but had to turn it off to get a good night sleep.  Feeling somewhat like an unloyal fan, I trusted the boys in blue would prevail.  And they did.

 I had  my alarm set for 4:30 am, but I heard people in the hallways and getting ready around 4:00 am.  I started to get nervous I would be late.  So I got up and tried to be sort of quiet so Jason could sleep.  I ate a banana and two packets of maple and brown sugar oatmeal before waking him up.  And off to transition we went.  It was still so dark it was hard to see to pump up my bike tires.  I got body marked and went down to the swim start to hang out.  The energy was great.  Loud music, excited athletes, everyone helping one another.  I waited a bit to long to use the port-a-potty and the line was SO LONG.  I started to panic that I wouldn’t get my position in the water in time.  I entered the corral and it was taking FOREVER to get in.  I watched the clock tick down and I still was not in the water with 4 minutes left.  This was the worst I felt all day.  Totally terrified.  I sprinted out to the start line, but didn’t have time to get in a good position before the cannon went off.

BOOM!  And it began.  It was windy and really choppy water, but I didn’t notice at first.  Back to  my old stroke pattern.  Four strokes, breathe right, four strokes, breathe right, three strokes breathe left, three strokes sight.  It keeps me calm and helps me keep good form.  But all hell was breaking loose.  Elbowed square in the googles, then elbowed in the ear, someone was hanging on my left foot making it hard to kick.  Some one swam over top of me. It’s one thing for accidental contact like this but grab my hand and don’t let it go- repetitively, or hang on to both of my feet at that same time? That is not incidental contact. I had enough.  So after that, I decided I was the regulator of swimming etiquette.    F-with me intentionally more than once, I might just pull you up, look you in the eye and say “STOP IT.”  I’m not kidding.  I did that, and actually got an apology.  If I couldn’t do that, I might teach you a lesson, water polo style.  We reached the first turn, and true to tradition it was packed.  We were all upright, being pushed by the people behind us.  And we all MOOed like cattle.  Crazy triathlon humor.  We turned to swim north, the wind was insane and suddenly the waves seemed real.  Not Lake Michigan real, but I certainly had to work for it.  Overall I felt comfortable the entire swim, I never pushed myself too hard but I was a strong steady pace which I am happy with. 

Out of the water and ran straight up to Lore A who was a wet suit stripper.  I flopped down and she ripped it off shouting words of encouragement as my Dad and took photos.  I ran up the helix.  SMILING FROM EAR TO EAR.  This is so fun.  Lines of people screaming, cheering, jumping up and down with costumes/signs.  I saw some of the well fit people and they shouted out my name.  Into the changing area.  A nice girl helped take my bathing suit off, put on my socks and sports bra for me.  Gave me water.  I ran outside in no time and more people put on my sunscreen.  I heard Jay cheer for me.  I saw Anne R, who was an unexpected surprise that made me so happy.  My bike was on the far end of transition so I ran barefoot carrying my cycling shoes until I got to my bike.  A volunteer handed me my bike and off I went for an 112 mile ride.  

The weather was cool and windy.  I was flying.  I was afraid I was going to fast and would tire out.  I didn’t realize at the time it was because I had a tailwind.  Overall the bike was fantastic.  So much easier for me than in 2009.  I was on pace to finish a good hour faster.  I had great support on the big hills and in Verona.  Abby and her family made me a sign.  The hills were lined with people in costumes and with funny signs.  I particularly enjoyed the WellFit cheering crowd and the devils that chased me up the first of the three big hills.  Jay, Dad and Lore stayed on the top of a huge hill both loops cheering me up along .  Every time I was biking on a north bound street, it felt like I had a flat tire.  As it turns out it was just really strong wind.  It was so hard to keep momentum.  I read the signs on the side of the road to make me laugh.  "140.6 because 140.7 would be crazy,"  "Don't Pee on Highway P,"  and the sign Lore made in my honor "Don't Trust a Fart at Ironman."   I made up for my slow pace up the hills by barreling down the steep hills.  Max speed 43 mph on at least 4 hills.  Totally terrifying and totally exhilarating.  The last 15 miles were supposed to be easy, but they were straight into the wind.  I knew I had plenty of time to spare for the bike cut off, so I wasn’t worried.  Just annoyed as I saw my much improved bike time differential from 2009 slowly evaporate (I still did about 30 minutes faster).

 Transition to the run and off I went.  Unlike 2009, I used plenty of Vaseline and avoided the most painful part of racing- chaffing.  I also never felt the delirium that occurred that year.  I never had weird joint pains either.  I ran and I ran well.  I ran the first 6 miles without stopping (my goal) including the aid stations.  Then I started to walk the aid stations for a bit.  I ran into Tom P who was on his second loop.  We gave each other words of encouragement and some much needed camaraderie for a little while.   I stopped in 4 port-a-potties, apparently a tad bit overhydrated.  Just before I came in to finish the half marathon, Tom barreled past me and gave me a pat on the back.  He was only a few minutes from becoming an Ironman,  I was so excited for him I borrowed his energy for a little while.  At mile 13 I was very pleased with my time (2 hours and 40 minutes)  The second half marathon I felt pretty good.  When I ran, I felt like I was running in my normal pace and form.  After about 8 minutes my legs would feel so heavy and I would walk 2-3 minutes.  I met a nice young girl named Chloe who was doing her first Ironman.  We talked about the importance of staying positive and enjoying the final moments of the race.  I was able to keep this up all the way to the end of the race.  And I had my second fastest marathon time ever (first fastest was the 2009 Ironman, so maybe I should just never run marathons ? or always swim and bike before a marathon?)  

 Jay, Dad and Lore waited at the finish.  I fist pumped and celebrated.  Then they told my timing chip had not been working.  I panicked.  What if I didn’t get credit for all the work I just did.  I went to the timing booth and they explained that I would have a finishing time but they might not be able to give me all my splits.  That is kind of a bummer, but since I stared at my clock all day long, I have a good idea of what I was doing.  We stayed until the final finishers crossed at midnight.  What a party.  What a unique culture where a huge crowd stays to support the very last finisher.  In the end, no matter what the reason people are racing, becoming an Ironman is a surreal and irreplaceable experience.  It’s emotional to see someone achieve that goal. 

 The first Ironman was a social experience with a well laid out plan by my coaches.  A far fetched goal.  A transition or one lifestyle to another.  This time around, I learned to rely on myself.  I trained mostly in solitude.  I trained between 1/3 and 2/3 the volume of 2009.  The Ironman was no longer the main focus of my life, but something that motivated me to be active and push myself.  The challenges were completely different and I am so happy and proud of myself for overcoming.  

Special Thanks to Lore A who although not training for anything this year, made several trips to Madison to ride the loops with me, send me endless words of encouragement and introduced me to the best sunscreen and nutritional supplements on earth.

Destination Donation and Ironman Wisconsin Prep

The final week before Ironman Wisconsin has arrived. No matter how I feel compared to previous years, it's time to keep confident and calm.  I've been on-service and on-call the past 7 days, which makes focusing on rest, relaxation, recovery challenging.  On the bright side, it's also given me something to focus on other than pre-race jitters.

I have to admit, I'm beyond nervous and excited for this race.  I trained less but different than 2009.
In 2009, I had a coach, a team, and a well-thought out training plan.  This year I had me. My bike. And squeezing in workouts when I could.

 Me, Bus and Melissa at Epic Saturday before Ironman WI 2009

When I started training for the 2009 race, I had never run more than 4 miles. I had never done more than a sprint triathlon.
2 marathons
2 25Ks
5 1/2 marathons
a couple of Olympic distance triathlons
5 Half Ironman triathlons
and 1 Ironman later, I'm slower but I'm more prepared.
I feel I have learned so much about triathlon but mentally and physically.
I can't wait to get out there and see how much this makes a difference, in spite less training and more years!

While racing at Ironman Racine 70.3 I noticed a group of people wearing t-shirts which said "Athletes for Organ Donation."  Obviously, I was intrigued; so, when I got home I googled and found out about  "Destination Donation."  This is a group of athletes raising awareness for organ donation.  Unlike countless other training groups for causes, there is no fundraising to participate.  It's simple.  Wear a jersey that helps build awareness.  Meet other people training for similar events who share a desire to promote organ donor awareness.
How could I resist?!  In fact I'm hoping to become more and more active in the years to come and involve our transplant center as well.

With more than 15,000 people currently listed and awaiting liver transplantation in the United States this year and only around 6,500 liver transplants expected to be performed; I see the consequences of the lack of organ donation all too frequently.  I feel grateful I have a career which I am so passionate about and if I can help increase organ donation in any way, you know I'm on board.  USAT Nationals was the first race I wore my new jersey.  I felt a sense of pride while running.  "Stand up tall and so people can read the message,"  I found myself thinking.  "Don't walk, make this group proud."  I found myself focusing on particular patients who are high on the waiting list.  I ran faster for them.
Organ donation is not just a benefit to the recipient, I'm confident any family member of a donor finds some comfort in their great loss giving the gift of life to someone in need.
And now I will step off my soap box.

I will again be wearing my Destination Donation jersey for the bike portion of Ironman Wisconsin.

I'll have an orange running tank on during the run with a Destination Donation sticker somewhere to show my support.

One of the more well-known members Fireman Rob, will also be racing.  Although we've never met, I'm looking forward to a high five from him along the way.

And tonight is the last night I have to carry the transplant Hepatology pager until after the race.  So the real rest begins tomorrow!

USAT Olympic Distance Age Group Nationals

USAT Age Group Nationals were held this weekend in Milwaukee.  The top age group triathletes from all over the country received notification if they qualified and had the option to participate.  

I did not.  When I heard about a way to participate in the race, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to race with this caliber of athlete in my own city.  Walking around the race expo and transition, I was blown away by the race gear and bikes these people own.  The best of the best.  Somewhat comical to see Milwaukee transition into a super fit, spandex and aerodynamic helmet wearing community for a few days.

USAT had opened up the category Athena/Clydesdale for this race.  The racers would not have the opportunity to qualify for Worlds if they won the category, which deterred many from entering.  Since I was looking forward to being a part of such a huge and inspirational event, I didn't mind that.

The Athena traditionally has been for women >150 lbs.  More body to haul through the water and up the bike hills.  Since I haven't weighed under that since 1995, I figured I was safe.  I have raced Athena one time before and came in next to last.  Heavier doesn't mean slow, that's for sure.  Somewhere along the way, the weight minimum was increased to 165.  My Ironman weight was 164 in 2009, we get weighed the day before in the case that an athlete ends up in the medical tent, staff can calculate how dehydrated someone is.  So the weigh in was a little intimidating.  I really wanted to participate in this race and I didn't qualify as an age grouper.  Luckily, I made the weight with a few pounds to spare.

Being Nationals, the race swag was pretty impressive.  Hats, socks, compression stockings, bike gear, t-shirt all in the goody bag.  By far my favorite was the tattoo race numbers.  No more sharpies! The race was perfectly run with more volunteers than you could imaging.  The course on my home turf was also a very cool experience.  The transition and finish line right in front of the Art Museum.  The bike and run course up the lake front nearly to our house.  Running by farmiliar places is such an advantage.  I thought I might be intimidated by the high speeds of this race.  I wasn't.  It was cool to see how the human body can move in it's most impressive form.

Kathleen (Athena >40 3rd Place winner) and me showing off our tattoos

Despite a beautiful day and wonderfully run race, overall I was disappointed in my experience.  I've only raced in one Olympic distance race before, so maybe it was the distance, but I think it was the level of competition that made this race different. The comradarie, the support, the FUN, the reasons I love triathlon were lacking.  The swim was the most frustrating, catty experience I've ever had at a race. Punching, pulling, kicking, scratching.  There were very few "looking good out here" or "nice work" on the bike.  An elite coach once told me if his athletes interact with the crowd or other athletes they aren't focused enough.  So, I understand, at a certain level it's expected to be inside your own head and your own race.  This just isn't a level I ever want to be a part of.  My favorite part of racing is thanking the volunteers, high fiving kids, cheering on others who are working so hard to make it to the finish line and achieve their goal.  So I continued to do that.  A girl feel about 800 yards from the finish line.  I stopped and helped her up.  Time was not a thought in my mind.  I just wanted to soak in the experience of racing at Nationals.

The lack of community spectators was also disappointing.  Other than near the transition, there were few people along the course cheering us on.  COME ONE MILWAUKEE!  You can make up for it next year.

 I'm on the left, in case you were wondering.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not knocking these elite athletes.  Their drive, dedication, competitive spirit is more than impressive.  Their speed and agility is mind blowing.  I'm just trying to point out that it's not the only reason to get out there and race.  The only person I compete with out there is myself, my times, fighting off my own negative self-talk.  But this was Nationals, so my race attitude was a minority.

Then came the finish line.  The one and only Chrissie Wellington, smiling (of course), wrapped a medal around my neck and congratulated me.  Later at the award ceremony she spoke about how everyone should take a moment to soak in their achievement, every last finisher, not just the winners.

 
And so I did.  I was called to stage as the second place finisher in Athena Age 40 and Under.  As I stool looking over the crowd, I was elated.  I did not know at the time, but I now know I finished in the bottom 150 of the women who raced that day.  My category was extremely small.  I am still celebrating this moment.  The feeling of accomplishment.  I'm proud of how I raced.  And it was a PR by a few seconds over my only other Olympic distance tri from 2009.

Racine 70.3 Race Report

Five years later, I revisited the site of my first half-ironman.  I was surprisingly nervous the day prior to my 5th half-ironman.  I think a lot of my nerves had to do with my new bike and the mechanical problems I've had on my last two long rides.   Jay and I drove to Racine on Saturday for my registration and bike check-in.  I decided to make a last minute change and put the tires from my old bike on my fancy new bike.  After the switch was made, nerves disappeared.

Sunday morning wake up call at 3:45 am, yikes.  Jay and I rolled out bed and into the car in order to make it to Racine, get set up and out of the transition area before it closed at 6:30.

I ran into so many old friends from WellFit and Chicago, it felt more like a social event than a race day.  Then we made the 1 mile walk down the beach for the swim start.

Last year at WellFit, I had a lesson in open water swim starts.  Every race I've done since this has been one of my favorite moments of the race.  The water looked really choppy and groups in front of mine were tenious entering the water.  When the 35-39 womens age group started, I sprinted out front of the group.  Such a rush knowing I was in the front of over 100 women, even if for only a minute. 

The swim was extra wavy.  Worse than I've ever swam in before.  And that was the end of me being in front!  I've heard at least 50 people were pulled out or chose to quit, and props to the volunteers and race director for keeping everyone safe out there.  I never really felt panicked, but it was a really tough swim.  I figured out that if I did my "sighting" only when I knew I was on top of a wave, it helped a lot to orient myself and swim the correct direction.  A few moments, I actually found myself laughing at how ridiculous it was to try to swim with my body being thrown all over the place by these waves.

40 minutes later, I finally had sand between my toes and felt like I could take a moment to breathe. 
Onto the bike portion.  Still somewhat disoriented from the swim, I almost mounted my bike to early and had to shuffle over the line so not to get a penalty.  I love my new bike.  I found myself riding much easier than I remember before.  There were a few bad accidents on the bike course, but overall a nice ride along Lake Michigan and through southern Wisconsin farmland.

After 3.5 hours on the bike, there was nothing I wanted to do in the world more than get the hell off that bike.  Each bump felt worse and worse.  I was so happy to finally run.  And by run, I mean run/walk/shuffle.  One of the social workers from work was about my pace and it was really fun to cheer each other on.  I also met a nice girl from Wellfit doing her first half-ironman.  We encouraged each other to keep at it.  I took tons of water, cola, perform, and gu packets.  I dumped ice over my head and jumped through every single sprinkler I saw.  It was pretty hot, but overall I felt pretty good.

And now I have this nice medal to show for it.

30 minutes slower than five years ago, but my second fastest half ironman and my fastest bike ever.

I lost a lot of time on the swim and in my transitions (you probably would rather not know that story).

I had so much fun and am so grateful that Jason and my friend Lore spent their entire day following me around and giving me high fives and sweaty hugs.

Rock n Sole Half Marathon Race Report

Truth be told, I have been on only one run over 6 miles since Nashville.  And really running only once a week the last three weeks.  Sometimes life gets a little crazy.  I'm trying so hard to make my own health and fitness a priority, but it's not simple.  

So this weekend Jay and I ran in our first Milwaukee half-marathon.  My friends Abby and Sara had suggested this one to us.  We were excited because the registration came with free Summerfest tickets, so we signed up!

(sporting my UA BRING IT headband courtesy of #WhatsBeautiful Campaign)

I was pleasantly surprised at what a great race this was!  Probably around 6,000 runners lined up outside the art museum for the 13.1 run along the lake front.  Our luck with weather wasn't the greatest again.  This time a light drizzle and high 50s.  The race started with a run over a 2 mile long  bridge.  Quite the warm-up.  Then after we reached the other side, we turned around and ran right back over it!  Needless to say the first four miles were rough.  The runners' attitude was lighthearted, cheering each other over the bridge.

After that the race course went along the lakefront north to our neighborhood and back.  The course was lined with different musicians, ethnic dancers of all varieties and smiling volunteers.  I was really impressed with the staff, the well-marked and beautiful course.  The only thing that was disappointing was that there were no gels on the course.  Normally I wouldn't have cared, but I dropped mine at mine 2 and could have used the calories/sugar while out there.

Jay rocked this race.  He wasn't sure if this was his PR and I loved that he didn't know.  So we looked it up.  As it turns out, it was his second best time.  And his best in 10 years!  I've never been one to care about time, but I was hoping to improve on my Nashville time.  Especially since Nashville was such a hard course.  Well- my time was nearly identical.  I definatley felt stronger out there and loved running the lakefront in my new city!

We are looking forward to using our free Summerfest and Polishfest passes.
I am looking forward to moving from running races to triathlons for the rest of the year.

Color in Motion 5K

I've seen so many photos of these "color' themed runs.  I was so excited when Carrie agreed to run Color in Motion 5K with me at Montrose Harbor.  Since I was suppose to do a really long run, I went up early and ran for an hour before the race.  Cold, rainy, windy made it somewhat miserable.

But once these smiling girls arrived, the fun began.  We were already covered in colored powder before the race even started (thank you, Carrie).

 Carrie gives the "Maize Starch" a thumbs up.  This Celiac girl was happy to see it was not flour based!

Normally I hate standing in the corral waiting for a race to start, but this time it was actually fun.  Kiss FM pumped up the crowd and people were throwing their color packets all around.  

Getting messy is so much fun!!

True to form, I was the messiest at the end.  I think being tall had something to do with it :)

Or I'm just a mess magnet.  Either way it was a really fun morning along the Chicago Lakefront.

Koss Fit Series Headphones Review or Why Are My Ears So Small?

Koss and Fitfluential compensated me, but all thoughts are my own.

Remember last week I had an incredible opportunity to meet Dara Torres at Koss Fit Series product launch?  Until earlier that week I'd never heard of Koss.  As it turns out, Koss is a pretty big deal when it comes to manufacturing and design of headphones.  In fact, my mom told me that when she and my dad were first married, my dad saved up to buy a pair of Koss headphones because "they were the best." 

I'm not super high tech when it comes to audio-electronics.  For the past decade, the only headphones I've used are the ones that come free with any apple product.  Lately I feel like everywhere I turn someone is marketing new headphones for runners.  Even at the Expo in Nashville, people were shoving earphones at me telling me how great they were.  So I wanted to give the Koss FitClips and FitBuds a good try before I told you my thoughts.

Koss FitClips and FitBuds use an in-ear design that you put in and it actually feels like it's suctioned in your ear.  They come with three different ear cushion sizes so you can make sure you have a perfect fit.  They boast that they make the smallest earbuds at 33% percent smaller than the average earbud, perfect for women.  Since I'm a larger than average female, I really thought this wouldn't matter to me.  I was so surprised when I tried the different sizes that actually the smallest bud is what fit me the best.  Who knew.  I guess I have un-proportionality tiny ears?

My initial impression of both the FitClips and FitBuds: Wow.  I honestly didn't know my Ipod could sound so clear.  In fact, the sound is SO good, that it intimidated me a little bit.  When I was on my spin bike at the launch event, I couldn't even hear what Nicole was saying to me even with the music down low.  I wore the FitClips during the sweat-fest spin class.  They fit in your ear and then around the top of your ear holding them in place.  Not one single moment where they slipped or felt uncomfortable.  I loved them.  I do think the perfect sound and suction technology made it hard to be aware of your surroundings.  Not exactly ideal for a run on a busy lakefront path where bikers are hollering "on your left" going 30 mph.  But then again, really no headphone is appropriate for that setting.

I went for a few runs with my FitBuds and FitClips to compare them.   I even went on one run and wore one pair for 3 miles and switched to the other pair for the return home.  They are very similar.  They have the same suction like technology.  Same super clear sound.  The FitBuds are more like your standard shape headphones while the FitClips have the over-the-ear design.
 

photo credit: Carrots n Cake
If I had to pick one, I'd pick the FitClips.  I felt like they stayed in place a little bit better. But maybe I really just like them better because they are yellow and my fitbuds are purple. 

Both the FitClips and FitBuds come in five bright colors.  They have sweat-resistant coating, so they are perfect for being active.  They both are available online at Koss and also eventually they should be at Walmart for $29.99.  

If you use Fit4Life code you'll get $5.00 off.

Enjoy!

Under Armour's What's Beautiful Campaign

I joined the Under Armour What's Beautiful Campaign with FitFluential this week and I think you should join me!  I know, you're sick of seeing work out related blog posts.  Just read it, ok :)

So what is it?  Basically you set a goal for yourself, post pictures, videos, etc along the way to your goal and win prizes.  Change your goal as you achieve it if you want.

 

DECLARE A GOAL

My goal is  Inspire busy women to fit in 150 minutes per week of dedicated exercise. Encourage women to try a triathlon  #I WILL.

 

 

THE PRIZE

Each week Under Amour will select women to send UA products to as a reward for participating in the challenges.  The challenges are weekly tasks like posting a picture of the body part you will need most to achieve your goal or a video of yourself working out with a friend.

At the end of the contest three winners will be flown to Costa Rica to attend a four-day yoga and surf retreat. They will be treated to massages, spa treatments and a personal chefs.

THE TEAM
Many of the FitFluential members are making teams together for shared goals, like a PR in a running race.  I wanted my goal to be something more general and focused on the overall health benefits of being active. 

The American Heart Association guidelines for exercise are for at least 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous activity weekly(or 30 minutes 5 times a week).  This amount of exercise is the MINIMUM for major health benefits like reducing risk of stroke and heart attack.  It also reduces the risk of cirrhosis and even some types of cancer.

150 MINUTE CLUB PHOTO

So I made a team called 150 Minute Club.  I hope you'll join.
No matter what you choice to do for your activity, if you're reading this blog chances are you are someone whom I care a lot about and I want you to be happy and healthy for a long time.
So do some yoga, walk, swim, hike, whatever you want.  Just do it 150 minutes a week.
It's not about doing some crazy race or kicking your own butt.  It's about being healthy for yourself and for those who love you.
If you want to join my team here is the link
http://whatsbeautiful.ua.com/team/207