Gearing up for Napa Ragnar

This was such a lovely weekend!  Friday evening we had a quiet evening at home and I crashed early since I still wasn't feeling great.  Saturday morning ,we got up early and went to a local homecoming parade, which Nick was marching in with his friend, Logan.  It was fun watching them hand out candy to the parade-goers and it was equally as fun watching Jack pick up all the candy that was thrown at his feet.  It was a bit rainy, but the temperature was in the 70's and it felt wonderful!  After the parade, I took a little nap and then Matt and I had date night!  Nick spent the night at Logan's house and Jack spent the night at my mom's house, so Matt and I went out to dinner and then rented a few movies to watch.  After the drizzly morning, the sun decided to come out and it was an absolutely beautiful night.  Matt and I ate outside and enjoyed the delightful weather.

Our view at dinner last night.  Lovely!

Today, I did a bit of de-cluttering around the house and went to a Thirty-One party (I have a Thirty-One addiction; so much great stuff in the new fall catalog!).  I also did some meal prep for the week and I tweaked the recipe for my shrimp pasta a bit.  I added some lemon juice and a touch of Italian breadcrumbs in addition to the olive oil and garlic.  The little bit I taste tested this evening was delicious so I am looking forward to more delicious lunches this week at work!

I've mentally started packing for my Napa trip, although I won't start physically packing until likely the night before I leave.  I did pick up a few things this weekend, though, and I guess I have started a Napa pile in my dining room of things I need to bring with me.  Ragnar requires each person who will be outside the support vehicle during nighttime hours of the race (6:30 p.m. - 7:30 a.m.) to wear a reflective vest,  i.e. essentially all teammates should have a reflective vest.  I very much appreciate the concern for safety, but I didn't know that I would necessarily ever use a reflective vest other than for this race, so I wasn't too keen on buying my own.  Several of my teammates mentioned that they could bring a spare in addition to their own so that we would have the coverage needed.  However, after talking to a few of my teammates, I realized it wouldn't be a bad item to add to my running arsenal.  In addition, when I got my shoes a few weeks ago, I found out I had a credit at my local running store that was exactly the cost of the reflective vest.  Coincidence?  I think not!

So, I headed to my running store on Saturday after the parade and picked up a sweet, pink Amphipod reflective harness.  I love that I found several reflective items in pink.  I realize that safety is far more important than looks, but darned if I don't want to look good whilst being safe and I much prefer the bright pink color over the typical neon yellow color.  

My  new reflective harness.  In pink!

I also grabbed a few packs of Nathan shower wipes.  I typically use unscented baby wipes after I run at lunch during the work week, but I figure giving these wipes with a fresh, clean scent a whirl will be a good bet considering I will be sans shower for the better part of two days, during which I will be running the equivalent of a half marathon.

Hoping these wipes will work in lieu of a "power shower" since I won't get one for a few days in CA!

Disclaimer:  I purchased the above products and all opinions are mine alone. 

The last piece of gear I have in my Napa pile is the sweetest gift I received from a dear friend on Friday.  I had lunch with my friend, Amy, which was a celebration of our birthday's, both of which were in August.  She gave me two lovely silver shoe lace charms for my running shoes!  One says "Lovely Laura" and the other says "You've Got This!"  I love these and I know they are going to give me extra encouragement and motivation in Napa!  It will be great during each of my legs to be able to look down and remind myself that "I've Got This" and that I have sweet friends and family cheering me on all the way.  Thank you so much, Amy, for such a sweet, thoughtful gift!

My sweet shoelace charms from my friend, Amy!

I didn't do much in the way of exercising this weekend, which was unfortunate considering how beautiful it was here.  My head feels better, but all of my congestion has moved into my chest and I can't seem to shake a really bad cough.  In fact, Saturday as we walked to the parade route, my chest felt a little tight.  If that continues, I will definitely go to the doctor to get it checked out.  I feel  much better this evening though, so I am planning on a run tomorrow.

I also want to send a huge virtual Congratulations to my friend, Stacy, who had a fantastic race this morning at the Cardinals Care 6K.  I'm so proud of you!  

Have a great Monday everyone!

"Ships in harbor are safe, but that's not what ships are built for."