Happy Cinco De Mayo!!

This past Tuesday was Cinco De Mayo, and I celebrated by going to Hoboken for the Casual Tuesday's fun! The run was hosted by Hoka, and they showed us a great time!

My friend Christina did an awesome job promoting the event, and had a huge turn out so it was a great success! It was a hot, muggy day in the 80s which made it feel like mid summer outside!

Before we started the run, we were all offered the opportunity to try on a pair of Hokas during the run. I've always been interested in the brand because of the padding on the soles of their shoes, and I suffer from plantar fasciitis, so I'm always looking for some relief from that pain! The pair I was given were super comfy, but kinda felt like I was wearing moon shoes, personally I don't think the Hokas are appealing to the eye, but what they lack in design, they make up for with overall comfort.

For this run we headed out toward Weehaken which was new to me, it was a flat run, out and back totaling 4 miles.  I was also flattered when Christina asked if I could be her co-DJ and run with a speaker playing her playlist from SoundCloud. I was initially worried bc I'm not as fast of a runner as majority of the people there, but then Christina introduced me to a runner named Pearl, who was new to distance running, and was worried she'd be at the back of the pack. So I decided I would help pace her, and it worked out fine! We were actually joined in the back by a few of the faster guys on my team who were running leisurely that day, and together we ran and sang, and got a few good laughs from people we passed along the way. 

The two mile mandatory dance break was a huge hit this week, and pretty interesting, but nonetheless a fun mid run break! It got all of us motivated to head back to the running store, and the last two miles felt easier than the first! 

When we returned to the store we were greeted with tacos and margaritas! How awesome is that?!?!? Totally worth the 4 miles trek! As we enjoyed our drinks and tacos there were raffle prizes given out from Hoka, and then Christina broke out a piñata! A boombox piñata! She filled that sucker with candy and goodies us runners really didn't need but, could make an excuse and use as fuel! 

Going to Hoboken is so much fun! There's no pressure to be the best or the faster, the only thing required is doing the best you can to have fun! Christina is so motivating and inspiring it's hard not to feed off her energy when your around her! I'm not too sure when I can make it to Hoboken next because my boss is away for about a month and I have to cover her, and then I go on vacation, but I'm gonna try my best to make it out to Hoboken again.

Hoboken is always a blast, but spending time with my running family is worth the traveling to make some pretty stellar memories! 

Til next time, 

Xoxo 😘

The Casual Tuesday's

My friend Christina (@pretty_creative on IG) hosts a group run every Tuesday at the NJ Running Company store located in Hoboken, called The Casual Tuesday's where anyone is welcome no matter how fast or far you plan on running. I've only gone once before last night but it's a pretty great run along the water with a killer view of NYC. Also Christina's amazing, welcoming upbeat personality, is worth the trek! She started hosting the runs last summer, and weekly she produces an awesome playlist to give the run a theme, and a mandatory dance break two miles in! Yes, a dance break! Christina runs with a Bluetooth speaker, which is pretty genius, and runs along the group singing and dancing which is great motivation during a run!

This weeks run was actually hosted by Mizuno, and they had a contest to go along with the run, with the prize being a swag pack from Mizuno. The contest asked entrants to post a photo to Instagram, with the hashtags #TheCasualTuesdays and #MilesChangeYou, and for you to describe how the miles have changed you. I thought that was a pretty good topic considering runners come from so many backgrounds.

The Freedom Tower! The view is just breathtaking! 

For myself the miles changed me because I learned to be proud of myself, and learned how I really am capable of challenging myself, setting a goal, and hitting it! I described how when I first ran in high school, how defeated I felt because I couldn't run a mile as fast as everyone else, so I didn't really run it, and ended up finishing in just over 20 minutes. But as I grew up I held on to that mile, and when my fitness and health improved it was my mile to beat. When I tried running again in 2009, it was terrible, I finished in 23 minutes. I was completely out of breath, out of shape, and felt like I actually ran more. I could've told myself that was it, that I just really wasn't a runner, but I didn't want to, I wanted to better myself! So I kept going at it, and slowly but surely I got faster! Then I was motivated to sign up for my first 5k, which was a huge deal for me! But when race day came, and I had less than a mile to go, I was ready to call it quits. Everyone was passing me, I was exhausted, my legs felt so tight, and sore, I was ready to quit. My younger brother ran that race with me, and he finished in like 17 minutes, but came back for me and ran with me to the finish.  I was on the verge of tears when he came to get me, but he coached me and pushed me, and when I crossed the finish, that sense of pride never left me! Yea I finished almost last, but it was the fact that I finally did something and didn't quit, and that I wasn't the best at it but it was ok! And from that day on, each mile I've run has made me a better person, I'm more confident, I've learned to be proud of myself, and I know that when I do the things I set my mind to, I really can accomplish anything! And I know that every mile that lies ahead of me will make me stronger and better than the last! 

#MilesChangeYou entry!

While I didn't win the contest, I did win a t-shirt! And we had an awesome group run to some Missy Elliot, Aaliyah, and other old school jams. When we got back to the running store we were treated with beer, gluten free cookies, and raffle prizes!! It was such an awesome run, I wish I could've stuck around for some food after, but I found some pretty amazing pizza for the train ride home! I'm a sucker for a thin, crunchy, cheesy slice, and Hoboken now may have one of my faves! Hope I can make it to next weeks Cinco De Mayo themed run hosted by Hoka! 

The Casual Tuesdays Runners

Who doesn't love a post run beer?

Mizuno tee I won! :)

Pizza so good, I took a bite, then a pic! 

Anyways til next time, stay classy, not trashy! Xoxo ;)