The 2022 Big Sur Marathon Relay

Disclaimer: I received a Marathon Relay entry as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to review find and write race reviews!

If you’ve ever read a “top ten marathon destination” list, you’ve probably heard of the Big Sur marathon - at least that was what first introduced me to this race, which runs along the west coast, up pacific highway 1. It’s full of scenic views, and rolling hills, and when bibrave offered up an opportunity to run the race, Mike and I decided to team up and take on the marathon relay together. 

My planned trip was short - fly to CA Friday night after work, and then a red eye going home on Sunday. I packed my suitcase, including all my race supplies on Thursday, and on Friday after work Dennis gave me a ride to the airport. I had just enough time to grab some dinner before I hopped on the plane, and when I landed in San Francisco Mike and Jude picked me up from the airport - they had headed out earlier in the week, so they would have more time to explore California. It was late when I landed, so we just headed to the hotel and went to bed. 

The plan for Saturday was to grab breakfast and then take a two hour drive down the coast to Monterey, where the Big Sur Marathon ends. We left the hotel around 9 am, and picked a restaurant in Palo Alto called “sweet maple,” where they had a yummy looking brunch menu. We each got a different brunch entree, and split an order of “millionaire’s bacon,” which was the restaurants signature dish. 

Once we were all fueled up we got on the road, and it was an easy ride to Monterey. Once we got there we checked into our hotel, and then headed over to the expo to pick up our race bibs. We had good timing with our expo arrival - a bunch of our bibrave team mates were out front, and we were able  to grab a photo with them before heading inside. 

It was an easy pickup process at the expo - there was a dedicated table for relay runners, and a volunteer pulled our race bibs out. Usually a relay team consists of 4 runners, but Mike and I opted to take on the race as a team of two. The volunteer let us know that only one person needed to be there to pick up the teams bibs, so keep that in mind if you’re ever running the relay. 

Once we had our bibs we could go get our shirts. The shirts ran small, but they had limited sizes available for exchange. Overall the expo was pretty big, with 4 aisles of vendors. Mike and I both opted to buy some swag from the official race store - I went for a hot pink Big Sur hat. 

The last stop before leaving the expo was picking up the tickets for the pasta party - we attended the 4:30 seating. 

We had decided to buy tickets for the pasta party so that we didn’t have to worry about finding a place to eat the night before, and the event did not disappoint! We waited in a short queue at the hotel across the street from where we picked up our bibs to get into the banquet hall, and there were tables all over the room. On each side of the room there were buffets with pasta, salad, vegetables, sauces, and even desert. Mike, Jude and I loaded up our plates, and found a mostly empty table. As we ate we chatted with other runners, and it was neat to connect with other runners. There was even a beverage table in the middle of the room, that had wine and beer - including athletic brewing’s non-alcoholic beer. I thought it was a great touch for all of the runners!

After dinner we headed back to our hotel, and got ready for an early bedtime. Mike and I laid out our outfits and packed all the fuel we would need for the next day - we had an early wakeup the next morning - even though the race didn’t start until 6 am, I had to board the bus at 3:45 a.m. - Since the race is a one way course, all of the runners had to be bussed 26.2 miles to the start.

On race morning Mike and I rolled out of out beds and into the car, leaving Jude behind at the hotel. We were half asleep, but it was a short drive to the race busses. Mike and I had to get on at different times, since I was starting at leg 1 with the marathon runners, and he was starting at leg 2. As I was about to get on to the bus i ran into Sylvia, a fellow BibRave pro, and we wound up sitting together on the bus and chatting as we made our way to the start area.

It took a long time for the bus to get to the start, and when we arrived it was crowded, and a little chilly. From the time that we left the start, I lost cell service, and would not wind up getting any connection until around mile 7 of the race - where a blip of service allowed some texts from Mike to come through. I milled around the start, stopped at the porter potties, checked my bag, and ate a pb&j sandwich, and waited for the sun to come up.

As it got closer to start time, I made my way over to the start line. I though about visiting the porter potties one more time, but the lines were insane. I made my way into my corral, and watched the sun come up over the mountains as I waited for the race to start. 

The race wound up beginning a few minutes late, but as soon as the start horn went off the corrals started to collapse, and everyone moved forward. I was so excited to take in the scenery for the next 8 miles as I got moving, and happily clicked on my Garmin as I crossed the start line of the race. Since Mike and I were running the relay in legs, I was doing leg one, then he would meet me at leg 2 and finish the rest of the race. 

From the start line we headed onto the highway, where both sides of the road were surrounded by trees - it was beautiful. I got swept up with the start of the race and took off a little too fast, but found by pace and settled in. The course started with a downhill. While the Big Sur marathon is known for its hills, the leg I was running was mostly downhill, ending with an uphill right as the forest opened up and we got our first views of the ocean.

We ran by campgrounds and roadside hotels, many of which had patrons out and cheering as the runners went by. The aid stations were well stocked, with volunteers handing out water and Gatorade. The miles went by quickly, as I was surrounded by runners who had so much energy - with most of them in the beginning miles of a full marathon! 

As I approached mile 7 the scenery transitioned from wooded to beachy - the highway opened up and revealed mountains and beach views - it was beautiful, and made up for the gradual uphill that I was climbing, and the wind that had started gusting as soon as the road opened up.

Before I knew it, I was approaching mile 8, and saw the school busses lined up for relay runners, and spotted Mike, who looked just as excited as I was! We took a selfie and ran together for a second, before he took off on his leg of the race. 

There were some snacks out for runners that were finishing the first leg of the relay - there had been bagels, but by the time I got there only oranges were left, so I happily filled a cup with orange slices as I boarded the bus. 

One regret that I had - a lot of relay runners had given their leg 2 runners a bag of clothes, so that they could change out of sweaty running clothes before climbing onto the bus. Mike and I had not thought of this, and it was a long ride to the finish - so if you ever run this relay, I definitely recommend giving your partner a change of clothes to pass off to you when you finish your leg of the race.

It was a bit of a wait before the bus took off - we did not leave until all of the runners had past by, to ensure that no relay runners would be left behind without a ride to the finish. One side of the highway was still open, so as we made our way to the finish, we caught up to the runners and watched them go - I even spotted Mike on the course as we went! While I was bummed that I did not get to run the more scenic sections of the course, I was glad that I got to watch the views roll by the bus window.

When I got to the finish area, I decided to wait for Mike at the finish line. There was a Starbucks near by, so after grabbing my checked bag I went and got a snack, plus a tea for me and a coffee for Mike, and then found a seat on the stands at the finish line. My only complaint about the finish area is that there was no easy way for relay runners to get post race food (like the boxes that the other finishers got at the finish line) - because I was hungry after the run plus long bus ride. But at least there was something available for me to purchase. 

Eventually I spotted Mike nearing the finish line, and cheered my lungs out for him as he finished the race - then I made my way to the exit point for the finishers chute, and found Mike - where he slung a medal around my neck - Marathon relay complete!

From there we headed back to the hotel and packed up, then stopped for food on the way to the airport. Our quick California trip had come to a close, and we had a great time taking on the Big Sur Marathon Relay!

Make sure to check out Mike's blog post about his leg of the relay by clicking here!

If you have any questions, drop them in the comments below!

The Year of the Virtual Race: The Scooby Doo Run

Disclaimer: I received an entry to the Scooby Doo Run to review as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to review, find, and write race reviews!

The best thing about virtual races? You can do them on your own time, at your own pace.

I am still missing in-person races, but until they return, I will continue to enjoy virtual ones – and thanks to the team at BibRave, I had the opportunity to participate in the scooby doo run. I grew up watching scooby doo, and was excited when I spotted the swag that I could earn in the race – a water bottle, a hoodie, and a medal for me, PLUS a bandana and a collar for Riley! It was a special treat that they even had pet friendly swag.

I signed up, and when my race package came in the mail, I may have broken one of my cardinal rules – usually I am very superstitious about not using any of my race swag before race day, but I could not resist trying the bandana on Riley!

I signed up for the 10k option, and since that is a little far for the pup to run along with me, I started taking him on shorter runs so that he could cumulatively finish a total of 6.1 miles. He usually was able to run about 2 miles at a time before he got tuckered out because of the summer heat. Some days we even had to stop for water breaks, but the pup was ultimately able to finish his miles, and earn his fancy little collar before I finished my race!

I was planning to take on my virtual races like I usually do, by running around by home, my husband biking along to support me through the distance – but when “race day” came, we decided to shake things up – and walk the distance together! Another perk of a virtual race – there’s no pressure on your pace if you don’t want there to be. We took our time as we explored our neighborhood, taking paths that I don’t usually follow when running. We even had an aid station at mile 4…. In the form of ice cream from baskin robins! If that’s not a delicious mid race stop, I don’t know what is! It took longer than a usual 10k for me, but the miles were high quality, on a beautiful early fall afternoon.

There is still time to register for the scooby doo 10k or 5k, and take on your miles in the way that best suits your day, and you can even bring a furry friend along for the journey.

Packing for the dopey challenge

You’ve spent the last 6 months training, and now the Walt Disney World marathon weekend is only two weeks away – I’m sure you are thinking the same thing as me, where did the time go?!

In this post I am going to share 10 packing tips for the dopey challenge, and at the end of this post I will link to my favorite RunDisney packing list, created by Joyful Miles.

1. Pack the essentials in your carry on

When I head to Disney for races, I always carry on my running shoes and race day outfits instead of checking them. Most of the gear in my luggage I could replace upon arrival, but when I am taking on a challenge like Dopey, I don’t want to get stuck in new gear on race day.

Other essentials that I bring in my carry on are a few gels and body glide. Most of the time these can be found at the expo, but I prefer to bring a few along just in case.

2. Prepare for any weather

Florida weather in January is unpredictable at best. The last time I ran the dopey challenge in 2017 the forecast for Orlando looked warm when I left New York on Tuesday, but by Saturday the forecast for the marathon had shifted to a real feel of 28 degrees. I was very glad that I had brought along the cold weather gear I had been using in New York, just in case.

I was travelling with a group of 6 other marathon runners, and they were not quite as prepared – we wound up spending hours on Saturday trying to find cold weather gear in Florida, which was not the easiest task.

I always save the heat sheets that are handed out at the end of races, and bring those along as well for race morning. Just make sure to discard them before crossing the start line, or it could impact your timing chip!

3. Bring throw away layers

Odds are it will be a little chilly on race mornings, since for RunDisney events the start times are long before the sun comes up. I tend to go through my closet and do a little clean out before Marathon weekend, since I know that Disney will collect and donate all of the clothing that is discarded at the start line.

If I can’t find clothing that I already own and am willing to part with, I will head to a local thrift store to pick up some extra layers. You will be happy to have them on race morning!

4. Organize your suitcases – pack your outfits for each day in a different container

I will be sharing a room with three other people during marathon weekend, so I know I won’t have a ton of space to unpack. To make my life a little easier, I pack each of my race outfits in their own bag, so I can double check that I have all the gear I need before leaving home. 

Then the night before the race I lay all of the gear out, and don’t have to rummage through my luggage looking for a missing sock.

I have used gallon Ziplock bags in a pinch, but I prefer these packing cubes from amazon. 

5. Pack drawstring backpacks for race mornings

Disney provides clear bags that runners must use to check their bags, but they’re not quite durable enough to carry around in my experience. I always wind up receiving free drawstring bags throughout the year, sometimes at expos or when I make a purchase, so I use these bags to make race morning kits. I pack my breakfast, my gels, my body glide, a bottle of water, and anything else I may need the night before the race, so my brain isn’t required to function on race morning, and I can still have everything I need. The backpack is more comfortable to carry around than the gear check bag, and when it is time to check my stuff, I just dump it from the drawstring and into the clear bag.

Plus, after the race it is much easier to pop the drinks and food they give you into the drawstring, rather than trying to balance it all as you head onto the bus.

6. Pack pre-race and recovery fuel that you know works for you!

For me, this means having the supplies for PB&J or a kind breakfast bar before the race, and Skratch recovery powder that I can mix after the race.

I also make sure to pack a foam roller, for post-race recovery needs.

7. Pack a Hub charger for all of your electronics that use a USB to charge

For me, having all of my cords in one place makes it less likely that I will forget one, and wind up with a dead Garmin all weekend. I use this one from amazon.

My husband always packs a power strip, which can be helpful as well when you’re sharing a room with limited power sources.

8. Bring more than one pair of sneakers

Remember when I said weather in Florida is unpredictable? Just in case it rains during one of the shorter races, always pack a back-up pair of shoes, that way you know you will be comfortable for the marathon! I usually pack three pairs, but I have been called an over-packer.

9. Pack extra race fuel

If I told you I had never dropped my fuel during a race, I would be lying. So, I always make sure I am prepared with a few extra gels. I will even give a few to my family and friends that are spectating the race, just in case I need an extra!

10. Odds and Ends: The little things that will count on race morning

• Hand warmers

• Throwaway ponchos

• Chapstick

• Sunscreen stick

• Hair brush (for post-race)

• Extra hair ties 

• Baby wipes (for a quick refresh after the race)

If you are looking for an all-encompassing “Packing list,” I would recommend this one from Joyful Miles. They have everything you could need on it, and even offer a downloadable PDF. It is my go-to when I am making sure I have everything that I need packed.

You can find their list HERE!

If you are heading on a race-cation soon, what are your must-have items?

Gear Roundup: Orange Mud Transition Wrap 2.0

Disclaimer: I received an  Orange Mud Transition Wrap 2.0  to review as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to review, find, and write race reviews!

As I trained for my first triathlon last summer, more than once I found myself in a public area and in need of an outfit change. I know, I know – they make plenty of clothing for triathletes that you can wear from swim to bike to run, but as a newbie to the sport, my wardrobe was more limited. I owned heavy padded bike shorts, that were no good for running and a bathing suit that needed to be changed out of after a swim, which lead to me searching for a public restroom or climbing into my car and trying to be discrete as I swapped outfits.

As the seasons changed to fall and my swims moved inside, I was trekking to the public pool armed with ratty old pool towels, that were hand-me-downs from my mother in law. They got the job done, but were a bit more bare bones with each use.

I had heard other triathletes talk about using a transition towel, and even seen a few put them to use. So when the BibRave team presented an opportunity to work with Orange mud and their new transition wrap 2.0, I applied to be a tester.

When I received my Orange Mud Transition wrap 2.0 from the folks at Orange Mud, it was all neatly packaged up in its bag. I got a purple one, and happily plopped it into my gym bag so it could come along for my next swim. I was surprised at how much softer it was than a standard towel

Now, the orange mud transition wrap 2.0 is more than just a standard pool towel. It is billed as a towel with three uses

1. It has a zipper on one end that enables you to hook it onto your car seat, so that when you are sweaty after a workout you can protect your car seat

2. It has an integrated adjustable belt so that you can wear it around your body while you change under it

3. Of course, it has the standard feature every towel comes with – it can dry you off when you are wet

The next time I headed to the pool, I tried out the belt feature that the towel has. To give myself a little added privacy in the locker room I clipped the towel around me. I found that it worked better for me when I clipped it around my shoulders instead of around my waist, since it has to wrap around itself for me to securely clip it to my waist – which would work if I was just changing my pants, but made getting a one piece bathing suit on more complicated than it needed to be.

But it checked the box of having a private place to change – so it was onto the next, and most basic test: How would it perform as a towel?

I got my laps in, and wrapped the towel around my body once I finished my swim. Once again, I was surprised at how soft the towel was. It felt smooth on my skin, rather than abrasive as old pool towels sometimes seem. I headed to the locker room and used the towel to dry off before changing. It did the job faster than a normal towel, and didn’t feel sopping wet as I tucked it back into my gym bag. When I got home I hung it out to dry, even though it seemed to have mostly dried off already.

There was only one thing left to check – how was it on a car seat? I headed for a run with mt friend Mike, and he offered to drive us to a local path. I packed my towel in my running bag, figuring I could save his seat from my sweat on the ride home.

After the run the towel easily zipped up and attached to the seat’s head rest. Mike pointed out that I we had taken his car to hot yoga in the past, and that I had already gotten his seat all sweaty once – but hey, thanks to orange mud I can now be a more considerate friend, and leave my stink behind a little less often!

All in all, this towel has quickly become my new favorite. It has already become a staple in my gym bag, and I am sure next summer it will come along for many open water swims and bike rides. If you are in the market for a towel that does more than just dries you off – the Orange Mud transition wrap 2.0 is just what you are looking for.

Gear roundup: AfterShokz Xtrainerz

Disclaimer: I received a pair of AfterShokz Xtrainerz to review as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to review, find, and write race reviews!

As a newly minted BibRave pro, I was excited to see what kind of products I would get to test out - I already knew the community was great, and full of supportive runners, but I was looking forward to testing out some new products!

Shortly after joining, it was announced that there would be an opportunity to test a new product that AfterShokz was releasing, targeted at swimmers and triathletes. Since I had just finished my first triathlon over the summer, and needed some motivation to get back in the pool, I signed up, hoping to be selected. 

Just after being told to take two weeks off from running, I got an email that boosted my mood a little- I was selected to review the new AfterShokz product, called Xtrainerz (pronounced “cross trainers”), which are water proof headphones! I would get so much use out of them, as I planned to focus on swimming while I couldn’t run. Plus, I had heard so many good things about AfterShokz (Kasey runs with their headphones) but had never tried them myself, so I was excited to get my first pair!

Before I go into my experience with the Xtrainerz, let me get into product specs a little -

The Xtrainerz are waterproof in up to six feet of salt or fresh water, and even went through a 72 hour salt spray test with no corrosion - As a former test engineer, who used to perform this kind of testing on a regular basis, I can tell you salt spray testing is no joke! I have seen products come out of salt spray testing in totally unsafe conditions, so it is no small feat that these little headphones were impervious to the corrosion it can cause. The headphones have 4GB of MP3 storage, ready and waiting to be filled with your favorite tunes, podcasts, or audio books. The controls on the headphones can turn power on and off, set the music to shuffle, repeat, or play in order, and navigate between folders, so you can selectively listen to whatever you’re feeling on a given day. They also have an option to toggle between “swim” mode and “normal” mode

When my package finally arrived in the mail, it had AfterShokz branding on the outside, and I excitedly opened them up. They were nicely packaged, and even had some BibRave orange tissue paper in the box. After opening them up I popped them on, excited to try out bone conduction technology for the first time. To my surprise, they had a charge, and were even loaded with a few sample songs. 

I mostly stream my music, so I had to track down some MP3s to load onto the headphones built in storage. There isn’t a Bluetooth connection for the Xtrainerz, so streaming isn’t an option. Bluetooth can’t travel through water, so it makes sense that the headphones would just rely on their built in storage. 

After going through my iTunes library, I was able to convert some of my songs to MP3s, which are compatible with the headphones. I placed the headphones into their USB dock, and connected to my computer. No software was necessary to load up the music to my headphones, as they acted like a usb drive when I connected. So I was able to just drag and drop the music onto the headphones, and they were ready to go. I tried them out a little as I hung out at home, and was excited for my next swim. 

When I got to the pool a few days later, I turned up the volume as I stepped onto the pool deck, since there was a lot of ambient noise. I jumped into the pool, and started my first lap. The sound seemed a little garbled at first, and I wondered if I should go back to the lockers and grab the ear plugs that came with the headphones. But a moment later my ears had adjusted to the water, and I realized the issue was my ears, not the headphones, as the music was playing loud and clear - I even had to turn the volume down a little, as it was quieter under water than it had been on the pool deck. 

It was almost a surreal experience to have water while swimming, as I’m used to silence as I count my laps to pass the time. I was able to settle into a groove as a swam along to the music, the laps slipping away. Much more entertaining than doing mental math as I swim, which I have resorted to in the past.

The next time I swam with them, I decided to try the ear plugs that the came with. I had never swam with ear plugs in before, but as someone who often has to play the “shake your head at odd angles” game after swimming, I figured it was something worth trying. 

My first thought: why did I not try this sooner!? The ear plugs made me so much more comfortable, and made me feel like I was the only one in the pool as I listened to my music. After only a few swims, I’m already spoiled by these headphones. 

Tonight, I’m loading up an audio book (Harry Potter of course - what can I say, I’m predictable) and I’m looking forward to listening to it on my next swim. When I connect my headphones to the computer, the files look like they’re on any USB drive, and by putting the audiobook in its own folder, I can select just the book and not wind up listening to music between chapters. 

The only downside to these headphones? They don’t have any bluetooth connection, so I can’t stream to them using my cell phone, when I want to use them while I’m not swimming. Since most of the music I listen to I stream, it took me a few days to track down MP3s to load up the headphones. 

All in all, I have thoroughly enjoyed my new AfterShokz Xtrainerz. They’ve been my first experience with bone conduction technology, and have surpassed all of my expectations. I love that they have storage built in, so I can go phone free, and that the buttons on the headset give me control over what I’m listening to. 

If you want to get your hands on a pair of Xtrainerz? If you visit www.bibrave.aftershokz.com you can save $50 on the endurance bundle of your choice when you use the coupon code BRBUNDLE.