Tuesday, June 24, 2014

Product Review: Dorcy Lumen Headlight

A little while ago I was approached by the people at Dorcy asking if I would like to test out one of their products for a blog review. Since I have been wanting a new head lamp (one that actually works), I felt like this was a winning opportunity. I picked out the Lumen Headlight Broad Beam (now on sale!). It sounded promising. The package arrived and included batteries (nice touch!!). 


Pepper was not impressed

Note to self, after installing batteries and checking to see if the light works, do not shine the light directly into one's own face. I nearly blinded myself. Yikes! If this is how powerful the light was indoors, during the day time, I was excited to test it out at night! It has several different light features. Dim, full force, and blinking... In case you would like a strobe light running experience. :)

The headband was adjustable which is nice for when I am or am not wearing a baseball hat. Also, the light can tilt so it can be adjusted for your height and vision preferences.

With the summer solstice upon us and the sun shining well into the evening, I haven't quite needed to use the light yet in full darkness, but I know I will be prepared when the time comes!
And I will look super cool doing it! (Want an I Run with Fast Women shirt of your own? Get yours here! Proceeds benefit American Cancer Society.) (My shorts are "vintage" Oiselle green Lori shorts.)

Disclosures: I received the Dorcy light free in exchange for a review. I was not compensated in any other way for this review. All opinions shared are my own.

Wednesday, June 18, 2014

Baby Wilson: Patsy is 9 Months Old!

Patsy is currently: 9 months old. WOW! Is it too soon to start planning her 1 year birthday party? (Rhetorical question)... I accidentally skipped her 8 month update. Time really does go by so fast!


Weight: 19 lbs, 8oz. Holy moly she is heavy! She loves being held (and I love holding her) but sometimes my arms get tired. Forget strength training, just hold her for a few hours on end!

Height: 28 inches

Clothing: She still fits into some of her 6-12 month clothes but is mostly in 12 month clothes now.

Nicknames: We have gotten into the habit of calling her "Patsy Girl"... She definitely knows her name and responds/turns her head whenever you say "Patsy"


Health/Diet: She's still on momma's milk and she is loving her solid foods as well. We skipped cereal completely and she eats a wide variety of fruits, vegetables, and puffs. She will try just about anything and dislikes very few things. She also is really great at feeding herself. We kind of did the baby led weaning method of just putting food in front of her and letting her figure it out. Now, she can completely feed herself (and has been able to since she was 7 months old). It makes for fun experiences at restaurants!
Just noshing on a cucumber
Kiwi time!

Sleep: She still sleeps in the bed with us but we are slowly working on that. I've been trying to get into a nighttime routine and it has been working. Last night she slept amazingly so I'm hoping this is an ongoing trend. Granted, when we night-wean from nursing, I will miss those night time sessions but I know it is just part of growing up!

Milestones: Oh wow, so much! She is moving SO MUCH all the time! She absolutely loves her walker and cruises all over the living room. Watch out when she's going full speed. She'll take out your ankles in a blink of an eye. If you hold her hands and stand her up, she will walk. She is also getting better at standing. She was crawling backwards for about a month and now she is starting to figure out that she needs to go forwards. I'm not in a huge rush for her to crawl or walk so I'm letting her take her time. The biggest thing that has excited me lately is the fact that she has learned how to wave! She loves waving at everyone and she totally performs and loves having an audience. She also started babbling her first few words! Her first word was book and she has since said Da a lot (and dada) and Ma a few times (and mama once).



Likes: cucumbers, strawberries from Dad's garden, snuggles with Mom, car rides, making new friends, blowing raspberries

Dislikes: when mommy comes home and doesn't hold her immediately, when people she doesn't know very well try to hold her



Tuesday, June 10, 2014

Four Years and Counting

I don't really talk about my husband too much on here, per his request. We've been together for 7 years and it is amazing how much our lives have changed over that time period. We started off living in the city, going out on dates at our favorite spots (some of which have gone out of business). We then each lived with our parents for a year while saving up to buy a house and get married. We found a house in our wonderful town and have lives here for almost 5 years. This Thursday, were celebrating our 4th wedding anniversary. By request, I would like to share some photos from our wedding.


All of my bridesmaids with our beautiful flowers

With my mom and brothers

We got married on June 12, 2010 St. Mary's church in Mokena with the reception following at Dinolfo's in Mokena.
We hired a bagpiper to play us out
With the maid of honor (my cousin) and best man (husband's brother)

It was a beautiful summer day and only rained when we had planned to do outdoor photos.



The Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup a few days before our wedding and we changed our entrance song to the Chelsea Dagger classic.


In the trolley 

That time I "iced" my husband by hiding a smirnoff ice in my garter. It was very "of the times."


 I couldn't be happier than to have married the best match for me. He embraces my dorkiness and loves me for the person I am. He's a wonderful father to Patsy and Pepper. Cheers to the years we've been married, and to many, many more. 

Friday, June 6, 2014

National Running Day

Around the internet, blogosphere, and social media, the world was buzzing about National Running Day on Wednesday. In previous years, I haven't celebrated this glorious day due to pregnancy and other various activities. This year I decided it was time to finally enjoy the holiday! It seems like every day there is a National Such-and-such Day, but with National Donut Day following a few days later, I felt like this was a natural match made in heaven.

There is a Oiselle shirt that I didn't purchase last year and desperately wanted. The base runner tee (pink with blue mesh sleeves or blue with pink mesh sleeves). Well, I searched the internet far and wide and couldn't find it. I took to Twitter to ask around and found a comparable style on Title Nine's website. The Vroom tee. Well, needless to say, I needed to buy it. The temps here have been either cold or warm so I hadn't been able to test it out until now.


After work, I headed out for some miles on the jogging stroller. Patsy loves her mommy time in the evening and she doesn't like if I'm out of her sight. I know she won't always feel this way so I try to really enjoy these moments. We went for 3 miles around the neighborhood. Simple and sweet. I had the hubs take some photos of us.

Selfie on the self timer! 

Nothing like some shiny forehead sweat after a run!
Mile splits: 9:57, 10:34, 9:55... I may have struggled a little in that 2nd mile. :)

Happy National Running Day to you! How did you celebrate?

Tuesday, June 3, 2014

Zooma Fun Run

The folks at Zooma put together a fun run over the weekend to kickoff the August event. I picked up my Patsy girl and headed to the city with Meghan to Universal Sole. We got there early and parked before getting settled in and meet the other ambassadors.

L to R: Tiffany, Sara, Meghan, Becky, Zenaida, me
Hanging out with fellow Zooma ambassadors!
(If you're wondering my top is the Big O burnout tee found here. Meghan's tank can be found here.)

I've been chatting with these folks online and via social media so it was nice to see and meet them in person. We didn't really have an exact course mapped out and navigating the busy city streets and crowded lake front path led to quite a workout! We pretty much stayed as a pack for most of the run as we weaved in and out and around. 


Doing runs like this remind me of my fond days in the city, yet make me thankful that I live in the suburbs. I don't miss the crowds, but I do miss the beautiful lakefront view available on the regular. Towards the end, I was about ready to be done. The sun was hot and pushing the stroller was getting kind of old. It was so fun having Patsy there though. I love that she is still little enough where it is easy to take her to fun events like this.

I'm excited about the Zooma race on Saturday August 2! Come run with me and use code CAMB12 for 10% off your 10k OR half marathon registration..

Special thanks to Zenaida for the pics!

Monday, June 2, 2014

Two Rivers Meet 5k - Race Recap

After completing the Corporate Challenge a few days before, this was the event I planned to race. I participated in the Two Rivers Meet 5k. (I've done it the previous two years.) The event has a 5k, 10k, and 15k. The 15k is the flagship event and the local running clubs get pretty competitive. I had decided to use the 5k as my base time for this new post-baby body.
Right in front at the start of the race!

I was going to start out slower and see how my legs felt. The race started out with the standard rush of newbs. I wanted to run my own race so I started out steady and let my legs lead the way. Before approaching the first mile mark, there was a young boy in front of me (about 10 years old). When I'd approach on the left, he'd swerve to the left. If I went right, he went right too. I don't think he wanted to be passed by a girl. He did let me pass him and I clocked the first mile at 8:25. I didn't feel like I was going to die. In fact, I felt pretty good.

I decided to kick it up a bit for mile #2. The course goes down and around by the river in town and it is very beautiful. I took in the sights as I followed those ahead of me along the course. I continued to pass a few people here and there as I pushed the pace. The second mile was clocked at 8:11.

With only one mile left to go, I still felt great and really decided to push even harder. There wasn't anyone directly in front of me so I tried to follow the markers as the course had changed from the previous year. I soon saw the finish line but the GPS on my phone wasn't matching up. I still pushed it to the end and hoped that I was wrong. After crossing the finish line, my phone said the distance was only 2.76 miles. Final clock time: 22:22. Well now, that can't be right for my 5k time. I overheard several other runners with the same complaint about the short course. The race director was visibly angry and upset, wondering what went wrong. I pulled up the map on my phone and it turns out we went over a bridge where we should have turned, adding on the extra distance. It looks like just about everyone went the wrong way. I was the 3rd woman overall but I didn't stay to collect my award. I didn't feel it was fair as there was no way to know who completed the full distance and who didn't. Well, now I have a new 5k goal time, the time of the shortened course!
Finishing strong! Source

Afterwards, we took a group photo of all the cousin participants, walkers and runners included. Patsy and Pepper too!
Group shot

Next year we are looking to do something different to honor my husband's cousin who passed away on memorial day weekend three years ago. I'm open to suggestions. :)

Patsy is not impressed