Playing The Lottery

Wouldn't it be great if this post was all about how Ryan and I were one of the three lucky Power Ball winners and I was posting to be like Oprah and say "YOU GET $10,000" and "YOU GET $10,000". Alas, you have not seen our faces on the news because we were NOT the lucky ones (although Ryan did talk me into letting him waste $10 on tickets for "the big one".)

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Anywho, this post isn't about playing the money lottery, it's about entering RACE LOTTERIES! (Which, if you think about it, is actually the exact opposite, seeing as if you are one of the lucky ones selected it COSTS YOU MORE :))

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I've actually been very lucky when it comes to race lotteries. I threw my name in the hat for both the Nike Women's Half Marathon in San Francisco and the Big Sur Marathon and was selected to run both. (Feel free to read my recap of the Nike race here... suffice it to say I had a great time but am NOT sad to see it go. And I'll be running Big Sur in April.)

So when I saw the lottery opening up for the New York City Marathon I was intrigued. I have only heard AMAZING things about this race (other than the fact that it can be cold, SUPER crowded and there have been rumors of people peeing off the bridge ON TO runners below them), so I felt like I sort of had to throw my name, right?!

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My thought is: if I get in - AWESOMESAUCE, if I don't - my wallet will say "AWESOMESAUCE". You see, not only do you have to pay $11 to enter the lottery, but the race registration alone is $255 per runner PLUS the travel and accommodations... But like I've been told by many a runner - IT'S NEW YORK CITY! [Not to mention, I have had some AMAZING runners offer up their couches for me to crash on, so if I am picked I could do it relatively inexpensively.]

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So this morning I paid my $11, crossed my fingers and hit SUBMIT. We will find out in a little over a month if I get in or not. The race itself is in early November. Either my race luck will continue and I get in or NYC is not in the cards for 2016, either way I'll be STOKED for each and every person who gets in and has the courage and ability to make it to that starting line!

PS I think that when @NYCMarathon retweets your tweet about entering the lottery, it HAS TO BE good luck, right?! 

Do you enter race lotteries?

Adulting Isn't All It's Cracked Up To Be

Let's be real, adulting isn't super fun... I mean, the whole paying bills, making decisions, having to brush your own hair... It's for the birds, #AmIRightOrAmIRight?! 

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But, as you read in yesterday's Meet-Ups Galore post, my Saturday was all about my running friends. With that being said, I knew Sunday the hubby and I were going to get down to business and get a few things done.

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[A friend joked with me at the Star Wars Meet-Up and said "Man, it's like all you ever do is run." To which I responded and said that  pictures of me working or doing laundry isn't as interesting. "Real life" often gets skipped in our social media snip-bits, which is why I thought I'd do a post about what a normal day looks like in the like of the McDots.]

Was still pretty stoked about my PRO tucker hat on Sunday! (With an early
wake-up call, I was all about throwing on a hat instead of brushing my hair!)

Sunday morning I had to work from 6am until 10am (another reason why I wasn't able to run or even spectate at any of the races). Once I got off, the hubs and I drove down to the beach to get in an easy-paced 5 miles.

We got quite a few comments on our socks... One cyclist even told us we looked
very "Seussical" ;) 

We had to rush home, walk the dog and shower before heading over to the AT&T store. We made an appointment for noon and may have underestimated the time needed to fit everything in. We were scarfing down some lunch I made on the way to our appointment. (Our current Internet provider has been taking advantage of us for WAY TOO LONG so we finally decided to make the switch. Moving to AT&T will save us $22 a month - which, by the end of the year, could be like 2 or 3 race registrations!)

After we figured out our Internet and wireless accounts (we also decided to leave our family plan that we had been on for the last couple years with Ryan's parents and got our own account), we went home and picked up the pup. We decided that an hour of adulting at the AT&T store allowed us at least a couple of miles of hiking before we had to take care of more tasks on our To Do List.

Hiked up the Calavera hills to the water tower and back down

When we got home from our hike (it actually turned out to be a bit longer than we expected since we may have taken a couple wrong different turns), we knew we had to buckle down and handle some more responsibilities. I have quite a few "not so local" races coming up over the next couple months, so I had to get all of our arrangements set up (aka spending more money on running... whoever said running was a cheap sport must not have been a runner...).

       LA Marathon - February 14th {Hotel booked, parking pre-paid, shuttle reserved}
       Phoenix Marathon - February 27th {Hotel booked}
       Big Sur Marathon - April 24th {Camp grounds secured, hotel booked - will be camping Wednesday till Friday and then staying in a hotel the night before the race so we can legit shower and have a real bed to sleep on}

Along with that, I also did four loads of laundry, cut the hubby's hair and other random household chores (you know, like cleaning toilets and dusting). Of course, I didn't snap any pictures of those activities because they aren't as bright and colorful as my normal running attire pictures ;)

I will definitely be the first to admit that crossing tasks off my to do list feels GREAT, but if I had my way, I would DEFINITELY chose to #RunAllDay instead of adulting any chance I got!

What is your least favorite adulting task that you "must" do?

Meet-Ups Galore

Although I wasn't running in any of the races this weekend, that didn't stop me from attending the #WeRunSocial Meet-Ups! And even though I felt like I was in the car ALL DAY LONG on Saturday, seeing friends (both new and old) made the driving TOTALLY worth it!

The Tri-City Medical Center Carlsbad Marathon and Half Marathon was Sunday morning. It is literally a stones throw from my house. Since I had 12 miles on tap for the weekend I thought that I could sign up for the half and at least get a medal out of my training run... Well, that was until I saw the prices! As you know, I am very frugal, so when I saw the high registration fee I knew I was OUT. (Don't get me wrong, it is such a beautiful course... BUT I run it weekly... So to pay $150+ for a half marathon {that isn't runDisney} on a course I can run for free any other day of the year was NOT floating my boat.)

But just because I wasn't running, doesn't mean I was going to miss out on the opportunity to hang out with some of my running buddies! #WeRunSocial hosted a social meet-up at the PRO Compression booth at the expo at 10:30am on Saturday morning. My ladies, Kristin and Smitha, helped organize it so I knew I MUST make my way over to say HEY!

Carlsbad?! More like CARLS-GOOD! Some of the crew near the PRO Compression booth!

Not only did I get to chat with friends, there were TONS of giveaways and I was even able to pick up one of the pink PRO trucker hats that I had been eye-ballin' for a while (I have the fluorescent green and LOVE it, but "needed" the pink too). After the group picture at the PRO Booth, the crew was moving over to a restaurant for snacks, selfies and more prizes. I would have LOVED to join, but I had another meet-up to attend!

The winners with their head gear! 

Now, if you've been around CarleeMcDot.Com for a while, then you know runDisney races are my jam. The Disneyland Half Marathon in 2012 was my first half and I guess you can say it helped to spark my love for running. I absolutely love the runDisney races - not because I get a great time on the clock (far from it), but because I have a great time on the course. The friends, costumes, entertainment, magic, etc is hard to top. The one main drawback of runDisney races is the GIGANTOR price tag associated with them. To be able to run other races, we have cut back on our runDisney calendar. This past weekend was another race that we had to opt out of running, the Star Wars Half Marathon Weekend.

Linzie and Dani were hosting the #RebelTweetUp so I couldn't miss it! I was there last year and knew this year's meet-up would be bigger and better than ever! Once I left the Carlsbad Meet-Up, I got in the car and drove north to Anaheim (thanks to the lovely Saturday SoCal traffic a drive that should have taken 45 minutes was over an hour and a half). I parked in Downtown Disney (yay for free 2 hour parking) and made my way over to Trader Sam's.

Just some of the pictures I snapped during the epic meet-up

And you know the #WeRunSocial crew has gotta #KeepItTight whoever we roll!

Isn't it AMAZING that something as 'silly' as running has brought so many awesome people into my life?! I know I say it often, but I am BEYOND BLESSED! With everyone being spread throughout the country, you really need to relish every moment you get to spend with one another. (Wouldn't a #WeRunSocial jet be AWESOME?! That way we can fly to any race and see all of our running friends whenever we wanted... #ThePossibilities #MakeThatHappenPavey!)

And like most race weekends, it seemed to be over as quickly as it started. I got to Disney a little before 1 and ended up staying till close to 3:30. I swear, the time with this crew just FLIES by! Thankfully some of us don't have to wait too long to hang out again because Linzie and I will be hosting a #WeRunSocial Meet-Up in less than a month for the Los Angeles Marathon! [PS If you haven't registered for the race yet but want to, use CARLEE16 to save some of your precious pennies!]

Just wanted to say a HUGE THANKS to everyone who popped on by, said hello, took a picture or had the intention of stopping by ;) #WeRunSocial is growing because of YOU and we are forever grateful! I mean, having a crew to encourage one another based around a common love of running?! PURE PERFECTION!

Source: @WeRunSocial's Twitter Feed
Last week, #WeRunSocial hit 30,000+ tags on Instagram, how AWESOME is that?! 

Do you ever attend meet-ups for races you aren't running?

Workout Recap - Week 3

Sunday, January 10th – 5 mile run (in the SF hills)

Monday, January 11th – 5 mile progression run, Stretched & Foam Rolled

Tuesday, January 12th –  Strength Training (abs, back, arms and legs), 5 treadmill mile run, Stretched & Foam Rolled

Wednesday, January 13th – 19.65 mile bike ride, Stretched & Foam Rolled

Thursday, January 14th –  8 mile run, Stretched & Foam Rolled

Friday, January 15th –  12 mile run, Stretched & Foam Rolled

Saturday, January 16th –  Rest Day, Stretched & Foam Rolled

My legs have felt like a million pounds this week and I have no idea why. I have to say, I was THRILLED to not have a 20-miler this week (although the one next week will come soon enough I'm sure). I think I need to take a little extra time stretching and rolling this week (and maybe even laying with my legs up on the wall).

How were your workouts this past week? 

REVIEW: Manitoba Harvest Hemp Heart Bars

I am honored to be part of the Sweat Pink Ambassador crew. One of the (many) perks of this relationship is I get to sample and review some (new-to-me) products.

I'm not sure if you remember or not, but back in October I posted about the Manitoba Harvest Hemp Hearts that I was sent to taste and review. I really enjoyed them, so when I saw the campaign for a new product from Manitoba Harvest I jumped at the opportunity!

As a vegetarian (for over 11 years now), I am always looking for new and yummy ways to add plant-based protein into my diet. Welcome Hemp Heart Bars to the world! 

I was thrilled to see that not only do these 45 gram bars have 10 grams of protein but also 10 grams of omegas as well! I was sent three bars - one of each flavor (Vanilla, Chocolate and Apple Cinnamon).

Now as you know, I've always gotta #KeepItReal. I really wanted to like these bars, in fact, I was half expecting to love them, but unfortunately that was not a reality for me. I felt like the Vanilla and Chocolate bars did not even taste like their respected flavors. The Apple Cinnamon was my favorite of the three, but if I am being completely honest (and I hope that is why you stop by here), I wouldn't buy them in the future.

I tried the chocolate bar for an afternoon snack at work

You always need a snack on the plane, right?! The vanilla 
bar came in handy on our flight back from San Francisco.

I knew I'd get hungry on my bike ride, so once I made it to the
beach I stopped to nibble on the apple cinnamon bar.

Again, I really wanted to enjoy these so I was pretty taken back that they weren't my jam. Maybe it was the brown rice syrup or the rosemary extract in them, I'm not quite sure what didn't please my palate... But just because they weren't my jam, doesn't mean that they won't be yours. 

If you would like to give them a try (I really hope I didn't scare you away from them, but I have to be true to myself and keep my blog 100% real and completely honest), the fabulous folks at Manitoba Harvest have provided a promo code for 15% off your order... Simply use "hhbarlaunch1015" and give them a go for yourself. [The code expires March 31st, so order NOW and SAVE!]

Oh yeah, and Manitoba Harvest is also currently running a photo contest on social media! You can entered to WIN your favorite hemp food product each month. To enter: tag @manitobaharvest and use the hashtag #fuelledbyhemp to be automatically entered. Please note - The monthly draw is open to anyone submitting photos that is over the age of 18, residing in either Canada or the United States and that does not work for Manitoba Harvest (currently or previously). No purchase necessary.

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The photos don't have to include hemp or Manitoba Harvest products (of course, it's awesome if they do!) - anything related to healthy living is eligible as long as it's tagged #fuelledbyhemp.

Have you ever tried hemp hearts before?

What You Can, When You Can

Sometimes life happens. No matter how well you've planned and scheduled your training, something ultimately may pop up out of left field and get in your way.

I don't work a traditional 9-5 job. I am currently working part time where my shifts can be anywhere between 6am and 10pm. I normally work 4 hour shifts, but lately I have been working 8 hours a day. With my work schedule constantly changing, I've had to be flexible about my workouts.

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Today was my "off" day, so I made sure to try and get as many of my chores done, as well as my cross training workout (20 mile bike ride). That means I needed to do a few loads of laundry, get groceries, reply to a ton of emails, run errands, etc so that on my work days I wouldn't have to worry about fitting those tasks in as well.

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For example, tomorrow I work from 6am until 10am and then again from 2pm until 6pm. I have an 8-miler on my calendar for training, so I am shooting to do that between my two shifts (as well as walking the dog, taking a shower, eating lunch and getting ready for my second shift). Friday is my long run, but I have to work from 10am until 6pm so I will be waking up around 5am so I can pound the pavement before my shifts start.

It's not always easy, but if it is important to you, you will make it happen (otherwise you will make excuses). Some days I am up before the sun to knock out my run and other days it's an afternoon workout to make sure I am staying up on my training schedule.

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I may never win a race, qualify for the Boston Marathon, or get any faster, but GOSH DARN IT, I am going to put in the work. Training doesn't run my life, I run my life. And if running helps keep me sane in this crazy world, I am going to keep doing it for as long as my body will allow! Having to rearrange my calendar or miss a workout here or there won't be the end of the world, but I will do what I can, when I can and be proud of everything I accomplish!

How do you make sure to get your workouts in when life happens?

WRS Meet-Ups [Carlsbad & Star Wars]

Even though I'm not running in any races this weekend, you better believe I am hitting up as many #WeRunSocial Meet-Ups I can! And, thankfully for me, I have the opportunity to make it to TWO on Saturday (sure, we may pay a HIGH Sunshine Tax in SoCal, but we also have some of the best weather, coolest runners and most amazing events this country has to offer)!

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Carlsbad Marathon 

The lovely Kristin (@StuftMama) and Smitha (@RunningWithSD) will be hosting a hang out RIGHT DOWN THE STREET FROM ME! I mean, it's sort of like I HAVE TO go! Not only that, but seeing those ladies (and everyone else who is in town for the race) is ALWAYS a great time!

As the infographic says, we will be meeting at the PRO Compression Booth at the Expo (which is located inside the BIG tent in the mall parking lot) at 10:30am! Gives you plenty of time to get your shake-out run in before coming over and saying "HI". The crew will then head over to 83 Degrees in Carlsbad Village at 11am for food, more selfies and giveaways! Unfortunately I will not be able to make it to the second part of the party because I will have to head up to Anaheim shortly after we snap the imfamous WRS picture...

Star Wars Weekend

Although I will not be participating in any of the runDisney Star Wars Weekend events (LAMESAUCE, I know), I know I MUST make the trek to Disneyland so I can see some of my favorite runners - including Linzie (@SharpEndurance) and Dani (@IrishEyes1982) who are hosting the shindig!

If you or anyone you know is around the Anaheim area on Saturday, head over to Trader Sam's Patio between 1 and 3pm for a FAN-FREAKIN'-TASTIC time! The hubby and I partied at the meet-up last year and I am sure this year will be even bigger and better! There are TONS of prizes, but let's be real, the crew is SO AWESOME that spending time with one another is reward enough for coming ;) [And the drinks aren't half bad either...]

**REMEMBER: You do NOT need to be running in any of the events to attend the meet-ups (and that goes for ALL OF THEM, not just these two)! If you are in the area, we'd love to have you swing by (whether it is for a couple minutes or the whole thing!). Everyone is welcome, so bring your kids, your significant other or even your whole running group - the more the merrier!**

Will I be seeing you at all this weekend?