Disclaimer: I am promoting the Best of the Bay San Francisco City Guide as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador) at BibRave.com/BibRavePro, and check out BibRave.com to review, find, and write race reviews!

Its been years (probably 25 years) since I have been to San Fransisco, but even then, all I remember is the Golden Gate Bridge. However, this weekend, is the Kaiser Permanente San Francisco Half Marathon and if you are going to be running the Half Marathon, then you need to check out the Best of the Bay San Francisco City Guide Pinterest Board. This will give you everything that you need to know for race weekend.

What all will you find on the Best of the Bay San Francisco City Guide Pinterest Board?

• Pre-Race dinner options (Carboloading!!!)
• Places to go for runs before/after the race
• Post-race bruch
• post race drink options (BARS!!!)
• Coffee and sweats locations
• Where to stay
• Tourism
• Running Stores (who doesn’t want to check out a running store while on vacation?)

Make sure to check out the city guide and when in San Francisco this weekend, take a photo at some of the locations listed in the city guide and post them on Instagram and/or Twitter. Use the hastage #BestofSFBR, and you will be entered to win a $100 gift card from Sports Basement. Winner will be selected and notified on February 9, 2020.

If you want to plan a last minute race for this weekend and can make it to San Fransisco, use promo code KPSFBIBRAVE to save $5 on the 5k, 10k, or half marathon. Register at https://www.getfitkpsf.com/race/. If you are already registered for the this weekend, good luck and have a great time!

Disclaimer: I received a free entry to the465 Challenge 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!

2020 is less than 2 days away. New Years day is always a time of resolutions. One of the top ones is to get into better shape. Lets face it though, January and February is a tough time of year to start trying to get into shape. It is cold, it is miserable at times, and its hard to get motivated to be outside. You need a goal!

How about completing the 465 Virtual Challenge? The 465 Virtual Challenge is a 60 day challenge that starts on January 1st and runs though February 29th. The Goal is to run 53 miles which is the total distance of Interstate 465 around the city of Indianapolis. For some 53 miles is a struggle over 60 days, for some, it will be done in a week. If you are one that can do it in a week, see how many times you can virtually run around Indianapolis in 60 days.

The Goal of this challenge is to stay focused during the tough winter months, and lets face it, January and February are usually the toughest of the year. But if running isn’t your thing, how about walking, biking, swimming, anything. Any kind of mileage counts towards your 53 miles. I will mainly being doing running with some swimming added on as well.

There are two levels of registration. The first is the premium package. With the premium package, you get a 465 Challenger Super soft finisher shirt, 465 Race Car slider finishers medal, bumper sticker, training program, motivational emails, a virtual bib and certificate of completion. Registration fee for the Premium package is $39.99. There is also the Basic package. With the basic package, you will get a bumper sticker, training program, motivational emails, virtual bib, and certificate of completion. The registration fee for the basic package is $24.99. However, with either package, use code BIBRAVE to save 10% on your registration!

My goal through the first 60 days of 2020 is to complete the challenge 6 times. I would love to do it more, but we will see how it goes and see how the weather holds up. Join me in this fun, unique challenge. Reminder to those in the Indianapolis area, this is a virtual challenge. DO NOT GO AND RUN ON INTERSTATE 465!

Disclaimer: I received a free entry to the Vermont City Marathon 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!

Last week I announced the first Marathon that I would be running in 2020. Well, If you have been following me over the past few years, you know that each fall and spring, I typically run 2 marathons a season. Spring of 2020 is no different. My second marathon of the year is a repeat marathon. I will be returning to Burlington, Vermont for the Vermont City Marathon. I ran this marathon back in 2017 and have been wanting to return ever since.

Vermont City Marathon is held on the Sunday of Memorial Day weekend. This year, it will be on May 24th. This race has a lot of uniqueness to it. The course includes not one, but two passes down Church St. which is a really cool part of down town Burlington, an out an back section down the Burlington Beltline which is closed off for runners only, passing through beautiful parks and neighborhood, and lastly finishing the last 4 miles of the race along Lake Champlain.

Not only is it a great course, but this race is unbelievable in terms of crowd support. The crowds are especially huge along Church St. and the hill on Battery St including drummers. The finish line is also as loud as any other that I have seen. The Neighborhoods also come out in full force to support the runners.

To help make your decision a little easier to join my in Burlington on May 24th, Vermont City Marathon has given me a discount code for me to share with you. Use code BIBRAVE2010 (yes, it is 2010) for $10 off your registration! This is a race that needs to be on your bucket list. Why not knock it off in 2020?

Disclaimer: I received a free entry to the Milwaukee Marathon 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!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year everyone! We are nearing the end of 2019 and moving on to 2020. 2019 was not the year that I hoped for as far as running went. My body just felt like it didn’t want to do what I was used to running. My times slipped a lot, I didn’t feel like I had the endurance despite the mileage that I had been running. It has forced me to reconsider race strategy and goals for 2020.

With the new year approaching, I am going to do a couple of blog posts about what my big races are going to be in 2020. Right now, I have 3 marathons planned with the possibility of adding a 4th. The first Marathon that I will be running is the Milwaukee Marathon on April 11, 2020 in down town Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

This will be my first time running the Milwaukee Marathon. This is a race that has had a troubled past. There were issues of course measurements among other issues. The race went under new leadership back in 2018, took 2018 off and changed the race from a fall marathon to a spring marathon for 2019. The 2019 Marathon was a huge success with much needed changes made. I have been checking out BibRave.com and looking at the race reviews. The reviews are greatly different from 2019 compared to previous years.

What I am looking forward to in this race is the first half especially. You run right along Lake Michigan Lakefront. But I have heard is that the second half is a challenge with rolling hills and not much support from the crowds. But I also don’t run marathon’s for crowd support. I have gotten used to being out on the course alone at times.

My goals for this race are to just finish. I do not have a time goal. I have decided that my has just had enough of just racing every marathon that I run and pushing my body too much so I am going to just try to enjoy marathons more. Maybe even take the GoPro along with me for the fun of it. Not something that I usually do in a marathon so we will see what happens.

Right now, registration is open for the 2020 Milwaukee Marathon. Registration fee’s are at $79 at this time. Dont wait too long, on January 17th, fees will to up to $89! If the full marathon is not for you, there is also a half option ($69) and a 5k ($29). With your registration, you get a Premium Quarter Zip (marathon and half marathon only)as well as a tech race tee. And of course, you get your finishers medal! Thats more swag than most races will give you. Use code Run15 to save 15% on registration!!!

Disclaimer: I received an Pair of Turtle Gloves 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!”

Winter is here and its time to start making sure that we all have the appropriate running gear to stay warm out on those cold runs. One of the most important things to take care of, is your hands. Not only do you need gloves that are warm but also can beat the elements such as wind and snow/rain. A few weeks ago, I was sent a pair of Turtle Gloves to try out, and not just any pair of Turtle Gloves, these are a prototype of their new light weight gloves.

This is the first time that I have tried Turtle Gloves so I wont be comparing them to their other products, rather just no experience with other gloves. Turtle gloves I would say are more of a flip glove style mitten. Whats great about the flip glove style is that they allow your fingers to be exposed if they get too hot without having to remove the gloves completely and having to just hold them.

I also am a big believe in mittens. I think that they were better than traditional gloves because your fingers create friction between them that create warmth. The Turtle Gloves mittens are also made so that they block the wind from getting to your fingers as well as they are waterproof as well. This is huge for those crappy weather days.

I like these gloves, but I am not in love with them. What could make me fall in love with them? one main thing. There is no elastic around the wrist area that ensures that they do not fall off. They feel very lose around my wrist and hands and feel like they could fall off if I do not keep my hands in a fist. But really that’s the only thing I really don’t like about them. They do the job. Even with them being a lighter weight glove, my hands stayed warm with the windchill being at 9 degrees which was more than I expected from these gloves.

While the light weight Turtle Gloves are a prototype at this time and are not on the market, you can still check out the other models that they have to offer. When you do, use promo code TURTLEGLOVESBR to save 15% on your order!

Disclaimer: I received samples of Gatorade Endurance products 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!

Well, marathon season is officially over for me.  Back in August, I announced that I would be training and racing with Gatorade Endurance Products including their Endurance formula drink and super easy to swallow Endurance Gels.  This was not my first time using these products so it was easy for me to trust using them. 

I was sent a variety of flavors for both the gels and drinks. In the gels, I received Vanilla, Mango, Apple Pear, and Blackberry. My favorite of the gels is the Apple Pear but all of them have a great taste and as I said earlier, are very easy to swallow. For the Endurance Drink I received 32oz container of their Lemon-lime powder, as well as individual pouches for Cherry and Watermelon. All 3 of these flavors are great and I can’t really chose a favorite. What makes the Endurance Formula so great is that it is not a sticky, goes down easy, and is light on taste.

I ran 2 marathons this fall, the Air Force Marathon, and the Monumental Marathon.  Monumental Marathon was my goal race.  The two marathons were very different in a couple of way.  Air Force, I was a pacer and it was very warm (starting temps at about 70 degrees) and the Monumental Marathon was a cold day (temps in the mid 20s at the start) and I was going to try to push it. 

With the Air Force Marathon, Gatorade Endurance kept me hydrated through out the hot day, and allowed me to hit my pacing goal time of 3:45 (ran it in 3:44:25).  Gatorade Endurance deffinetly helped my stay hydrated and kept me moving as other pacers were falling well off of their goal pace.

At the Monumental Marathon, I was never really on the pace I was looking for and I knew it would be a long day.  My legs were tight from mile one.  While I did not hit my goal, or really even come close, Gatorade Endurance once again kept me going and gave me the fuel I needed to run longer (time) than I had ever planned on running on this day. 

While I did not hit my goals, I do believe that with the help of Gatorade Endurance, I was able to make it to the finish, and some days, that’s all that you can do. 

Disclaimer: I received an Orange Mud Transition Wrap 2.0 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!

Orange Mud has a great history of some awesome products, many of which I use in my running or other outdoor activities such as their hydration packs and Hydraquivers. You can add in the Transition Wrap 2.0 to that list.

The Transition Wrap 2.0 is a towel with multiple purposes. First is the obvious, it’s a towel. Who doesn’t need one to dry off after a hard run? But let’s face it, if that’s all it was, who would need to put another towel when we all have many at home?

Next it works great at helping provide coverage when needing a quick change from everyday clothing to running clothes and back into other clothes after a run. It works kind of like a belt to where you just tighten it around your waist tight and change away.

Third, it makes an awesome seat cover. After some runs, you just don’t care to change and want to just go home. Using the Transition Wrap as a seat cover allows you to keep your seats clean. It has a  convenient zipper at one end that when zips up, makes a hood that you put over the headrest of your car.

The Transition Wrap is a product that any runner can use. It doesn’t matter if you are fast or a back of the pack runner. It doesn’t matter if you are a road runner or a trail runner. The Transition Wrap is for anyone who needs some privacy while changing in the parking lot or just wants to keep their car seats clean.

Get yourself one today and use code BIBRAVEWRAP to save your 15% on your order!

Disclaimer: I received a free entry to the Urban Bourbon Half Marathon 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!

This was the second year that I ran the Urban Bourbon Half Marathon.  The first time that I did so was in 2016.  So it has been a few years and there have been a few changes since then in this race.  I will get into that in a little bit. But I loved this race back in 2016 and it did not disappoint in 2019.

The race packet pickup was held at Louisville Slugger Field which is a minor league baseball stadium in downtown Louisville. It is an easy packet  pickup was easy.  There wasn’t a real expo.  There was Fleet Feet Louisville present to get your last minute needs as well as some Urban Bourbon merchandise for sale and bourbon tasting.  Really, if you wanted to, you could be in and out of packet pickup in 5 minutes.  What you got with packet pickup was your race number and red long sleeve race shirt.  I did pick up a Urban Bourbon Boco hat and a race shirt from last year that was only $5.

I did get an opportunity to see some guys i know at the expo including fellow BibRave Pro Corey Queen who is the head of volunteers, Race director Michael Clemons, and Brett Albers who is now a Fleet Feet owner in North Carolina but used to be in Mishawaka, IN.  Always great seeing familiar faces at races that are out of town.

While down there, the family did come along and we camped on the Indiana side of the Ohio River.  This is a great way of saving some money and also making it easy to bring the family along.  It was my kids and wife’s fall break from school so that helped as well.

Race morning I drove to Louisville about 30 minutes away.  I arrived early so that I could get in an additional 4 miles before meeting up with fellow Bibrave Pro’s Stephanie, Lisha, and Linda.  I was taking this race easy and just using it as a training run so I wanted to get a few extra miles in and figured it would be easier to do it before, rather than after.

After meeting up with fellow BibRave Pro’s, I took my gear to gear check.  What I liked about the way Urban Bourbon did gear check.  You were able to bring your own bag and didn’t need to use a cheap plastic bag.  Since the start line and finish line were not at the same location, they made sure to get all the bags back to the finish area for the runners.

The start set up was one of the changes that was made since 2016.  The course now starts right in front of the Jefferson County Courthouse and heads east on Jefferson St.  to 2nd street.  Back in 2016, the course took you directly to Cherokee Park.  Now the course runs some around town a little more before going out to the park.  Cherokee Park is my favorite part of the race.  The hills are tough in this section, but it is beautiful especially with the fall leaves changing colors.

The finish is also different now.  You now finish on Liberty street which is only about a block away from the start line.  The big advantage of the finish area is that it is right next to 4th Street Live.  The post race party is known as Bourton Bash and went until 12:30pm.  Participants were able to enjoy samplings of bourbon from a number of Kentucky Bourbon Trail distiller.  There was also pizza, beer, and a live bad (The Crashers).

Swag

As mentioned earlier, every participant received a free race long sleeve race shirt.   This is a nice shirt and I think will be great to do those cooler fall/spring training runs.  Also, at the finish you were given your finishers medal which is in the shape of a Jim Beam bottle and the Jim Beam logo in the middle of the bottle spins.  Its a great/unique looking medal.   Also, just two days after the race, free race photos were available that were already sorted out for you.

Overall, I cant give this race enough praise.  It is really my favorite half marathon that I have ran.  The race director does a great job putting this race together every year and I always look forward to the opportunity to run it.  It is not a fast course with the hills, but it is scenic and a challenge that you should not shy away from. I think the changes the did to the course in the last couple years were the right ones and made the race even better.  Aid stations were well staffed and the volunteers were fantastic.  This race deserves all the praise that it gets and more.