I am back in Boston after being in one of my favorite places in the world over the past few days: Cape Cod. I was there with my family and was able to have a mix of work and play down there.
I’ll describe the play in photos:
Taking my sister and her husband’s dog Rio on walks. Really, he went on strike and laid down on the grass whenever he got tired.
Spending time on the water.
Attempting to catch dinner. No bites, but a lot of laughs and delicious salty air!
Enjoying some beautiful sunsets.
I even managed to go on a couple of runs, although I am finding it challenging to stick to my training schedule in this summer heat! Anyone else agree? I also cut back on my runs this week (lower mileage and no speed work) given my upcoming trail race on Saturday, the North Face Endurance Challenge just north of Toronto. This will be my first trail race and, to be honest, I haven’t sufficiently trained on trails but am looking forward to the experience. Stay tuned for another post on the outcome!
I will be carrying my fuel (GU and Honeystingers) and salt tablets with me on Saturday with a SPIbelt. Carrying gear can be a hassle, but I’ve found it to be easy when using a SPIbelt. The belt can be used for runs, walks, and hikes too! I love the way the near-weightless belt fits around my waist; the adjustable strap can fit all sizes but never seems to ride up or down. I like to wear the pouch on the small of my back, but this requires some adjusting when you need to grab something mid-run- this hasn’t been an issue so far! The original SPIbelt comes in many different colors and patterns; I have used the stars and stripes belt a lot this summer. Also note that the SPIbelt is not waterproof, so if you carry electronics I would recommend putting them in a plastic bag.
Sometimes going beltless is the best option- but when you do need to carry fuel/phone/keys with you, I haven’t tried a better product than SPIbelt.
I have teamed up with SPIbelt to give away one original belt to a lucky reader- color of your choice!
To enter the giveaway, just leave a comment letting me know one of the following: 1) your favorite fuel choice during a race/long run, 2) your favorite local getaway, 3) one thing you are looking forward to this weekend, OR 4) anything else you want to say!
Giveaway ends Friday! Good luck :)
Jane Runs Wild 
My favorite fuel choice is Tailwind Nutrition. I carry it in a Nathan 20oz bottle. My favorite local getaway here in Columbus Ohio is local shopping center that’s outdoors. I sit at one of the bars on the 2nd floor. The windows open and you can watch the people all day. It’s relaxing especially when there is a nice breeze. This weekend I’m looking forward to my 10 mile training run with my marathon training group.
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Good luck with your 10 mile run this weekend!
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Thanks for offering such a great giveaway! This weekend I’m looking forward to swimming (it’s an added component to my marathon training) and a local 10-mile race! Have a great weekend!
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Good luck with the swim and race!!
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1. Fav fuel- PowerGel in Orange Cream
2. Fav Getaway – my in laws pool in Tampa, FL
3. My volleyball tournament
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Your pictures are always soooo beautiful! Looks like it was a fabulous weekend down the Cape. The heat and humidity is awful lately. Luckily/unluckily, depending how you look at it, I do all my weekday runs on a treadmill, but even with the a/c it’s been feeling really hot inside. I’m excited to hear about your trail race afterwards! I already have a spibelt so I won’t enter the contest, but I agree that it’s a really comfortable way to carry fuel and other gear on a run!
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Hi! I wrote you a message on your blog but contact me when you can! Janerunswild@gmail.com. Hope you had a great weekend!! :)
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Just emailed you :)
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1. Favorite fuel: banana and peanut butter? (Do I smell an amateur?)
2. Local getaway: hands down World’s End (the one not at the end of the world…)
3. Weekend excitement: a girlie ‘bougie’ brunch at the Boathouse in Central Park (I know, who am I?!)
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1. Water
2. Out in the Yorkshire hills
3. Aleathlon – 8 mile race with beer/ale stops every couple miles
4. Eat veggies run far and don’t be afraid of a hill!
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Rio is so adorable! Favorite fuel: Nuun. Favorite local getaway: Bethany Beach or Shenendoah Valley. Looking forward to: Leaving for South Beach Saturday!
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Oh have so much fun and bring sunscreen! :)
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Great pictures, as always! Also, not too surprised a Lab found grass and chose not to walk. As for the fuel, I have recently discovered and love Honey Stinger Energy Gels (thx to my brother-in-law Krishna) and Muscle MLK Energy Chews (thx to Noel Paine). Fave getaway is anywhere my wife and I can go together; I even get to run while there sometimes. Looking forward to running on Salt Spring Island next month — 1st time there.
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Thanks Chris! Love honeystinger energy gels, glad you agree. I haven’t tried the muscle mlk chews but they sound great!
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I love your pictures because I have a son who lives in Boston so I enjoy seeing what the days look like there!
I’m looking forward to some cooler weather this weekend – it’s been in the upper 90s in Cleveland, Ohio this week.
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Thank you so much Kim! Enjoy the weekend :)
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Great post and pictures! Great that you are able to still blog once in a while…it is hard to find time to keep up with everything. Would love to run a north face event sometime, best of luck!
For the giveaway questions, favorite race fuel, Gu and s/caps…local getaway, Seattle – even though I work there, we live our Seattle sate days when we get a chance, also Bellingham is a beautiful town to the north that is nice to visit, and then there the PNW coast, so we have a lot of choices! This weekend we are going to a Howard Jones/Omd/Barenaked ladies concert! Have a fun race weekend!
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Thank you! Sounds like a fun weekend ahead- enjoy!! Must be nice to have a weekend off from running (or, at least sans a long run! :))
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I’m looking forward to my kids’ baseball games this weekend, its tournament time!
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Exciting, have fun! :)
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1) gummy Bloks
2) We love going north to the Blue Ridge Mountains – so much cooler than Atlanta
3) Some friends are hosting a summer olympics field day party – looking forward to being a kid again!
4) Your trail run sounds like fun. Stay hydrated and positive!
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Thank you so much Kelly!! Have a great weekend!
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My dog likes to lie down in protest during walks too. It cracks me up.
I haven’t been to the cape in at least 12 years, I should go back.
My favorite local trip is anywhere with a good ocean beach.
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I kind of agree re- beach :)
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1) GU or the honey stinger gels/waffles
2) Running along the riverwalk that leads to falls park (huge waterfalls of Sioux Falls, SD). It’s always gorgeous there and there are many bikers and runners who run the trail system there so it’s a friendly running atmosphere.
3) Looking forward to my 9 mile run on Saturday! I’m training for a half marathon in 4 weeks and I’m trying to PR this one so hopefully I can keep up the motivation just a little bit longer.
Great blog post; very helpful to hear your thoughts on the different gear you use. :)
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That’s great, what half are you running? Good luck with your long run this weekend!
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Thanks! I am running the gopher to badger half marathon with a couple of friends. The race starts in Minnesota and ends in Wisconsin. I think everyone running it is supposed to represent one of the states and there will some friendly rivalry going on. Should be fun!
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Awesome! Hey do you mind messaging messaging me separately at janerunswild@gmail.com? Thanks :)
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hello!
1) GU though in the market to find something better
2) local getaway is Ordiorne’s state park, it’s on the water in Rye, NH with trails and a jetty. very quiet and beautiful.
3) Looking forward to heading up to the White Mountains this weekend, have not been since i was a kid.
4) recently found your blog after you found mine. I’m a follower now! keep up the great blogging!
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Thanks so much and have fun up there in the whites!! :)
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Those photos of the Cape are gorgeous! Honey Stingers are my favorite fuel, hands down. They haven’t failed me yet! :)
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I am looking forward to getting all of Saturday morning alone with my daughters while my wife is busy elsewhere! I don’t get much time alone with them, so this will be a treat. My long run will need to move to Sunday, but it will be worth it.
By the way, Jane, since you mentioned Cape Cod, have you ever run the Cape Cod Ragnar Relay? I am probably putting together a team of friends to run it next May. I’m curious to find someone who has actually run that race to see what they think of it. It looks great.
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It’s funny you ask, because I’ve run it twice! Both times I was on an ultra team, so we only had 6 team members. Although the experience was very tiring (I think I ran about 30+ miles each year total), Ragnar was very memorable and fun. It’s a great team bonding experience as well. I found it kind of scary to run in the middle of the night, even with a headlamp with some other runners around. But overall- I really enjoyed this relay race. Let me know if you have any specific questions! Logistics of this race are a bit tricky compared to the others we have run!
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The logistics are definitely tricky with Ragnar, but that can be fun, too! I have actually run the Chicago Ragnar race each of the last four years. My workplace has been sponsoring a team each year, so as one of the more avid runners in the company I always do it. You’re right that it’s tiring, but so much fun (this year I had 22.7 miles total, including the final 9.7 in 90-degree heat!). Because I am originally from Massachusetts, as soon as we finished one of my teammates and I started talking about trying to do Cape Cod next spring. I’ve even already locked in decent rates for our team on a couple of vans. I suppose my main question is, do you get a lot of views of Cape Cod Bay or Nantucket Sound on the Ragnar route? There would seem to be great possibilities for that. My favorite part of this year’s Chicago Ragnar was when I was running along the harbor in Racine, Wisconsin at sunrise, so I am hoping for more coastal views.
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So the first half of the race goes through pretty south shore towns & neighborhoods (Hingham, Norwell, Plymouth, etc) with some ocean views but not a ton. Then you see some views when you cross over the cape cod canal, usually around dusk. After nightfall there won’t be any views but by day break you’re typically around lower cape towards Truro and p-town, where there are many gorgeous ocean views. The race ends in p-town which is a lot of fun. Personally I enjoyed reach the beach relay in NH a bit more for the constant beautiful scenery (it’s held around September when the trees start turning colors as well). But if you’re from this area, I think you should check out cape Ragnar. It’s super popular!
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And Chicago’s Ragnar sounds amazing too!! Would love to try that out one day!
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My favorite fuel choice is the Peanut Butter Gu, my favorite local getaway is the wineries here in Cleveland (specifically the ones in Madison and Geneva, OH). I am looking foreword to running trails again in preparation for Burning River 100 and Ragnar Ohio as I come back from mono.
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Oh I’m sorry to hear you had mono!! Hope you’re feeling better! Sounds like you have some fun races lined up!
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Slow recovery…don’t have much stamina right now
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My favorite fuel during a race is now 2 packets of Ucann along with some salted caramel honey stinger gu’s along the way. Only fluid is water. Good luck in the race!!!
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I really want a spibelt because I want an easier way to carry my camera for taking photos mid run. I hate carrying it in my hand and I see some beautiful things I think everyone would like! My mid-race fuel is…um…when I don’t forget…Tailwind or Gatorade. I usually take what is offered at aid stations =P
Good luck in your race! Trails are the best excuse to go slow and get rid of expectations and have fun!
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Thank you! Yes they’re perfect for holding things you don’t want to carry in your hands!
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I’m looking forward to this weekend because in my little town we hold this festival with a rodeo, a carnival, beer garden, vendors, a race, a parade, etc once a year and that is this weekend. It’s like a huge class reunion for anyone that grew up here and I love it. So I’m super stoked to see everybody and to just have fun. Oh and hopefully set a new PR for my 10k time.
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That sounds so much fun!! Have a great weekend! :)
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All my runs are around an hour or less so I rarely need to take on fuel, but I have enjoyed orange SIS gels in the past. I already use a SPI belt on every summer run. In winter I tend to wear a jacket and use the pockets😀 I agree you need to put phone in a plastic bag if it’s a wet day. It’s great for running – I highly recommend. This weekend I am looking forward to a well earned rest after a couple of hectic ones! Have a great weekend😊
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fave fuel: nuun, honey stinger and picky bars!
i’m going to a baseball game tonight, so i’m definitely looking forward to that :)
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My favorite long run fuel is pink lemonade Honey Stinger chews. My favorite local getaway is running along the embarcadero. I look forward to running along there every Saturday including this one where I’ll be running 16 miles. I’m currently training for the Chicago marathon. I also have another half, a Ragnar relay (napa), Honolulu marathon, and a few shorter races coming up this year.
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Chicago marathon is amazing!! Good luck with your long run this weekend!
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nutrition: chocolate peanut butter gu. looking forward to training run tomorrow w/ my running group for a fall half marathon.
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Lately, I’ve been eating some Fig Newtons on long runs. Actually, they’re the copy-cat version I found at Aldi. They taste like the real thing!
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I’m looking forward to our PNW camping trip this weekend! Woo hoo! :)
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That sounds so fun!! Have a great time :)
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Veery nice blog you have here
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