I Tried a Bunch of Meat Bars and Now I Hate Myself

meat_sticks

meat_sticks
It’s been a few weeks since I’ve updated the blog. I swore that I’d be better than this. To punish myself for this lack of *~incredibly valuable content~*, I decided to make myself eat a bunch of meat bars.

OK, so this wasn’t the most random thing that I’ve ever done. In a few weeks, Team Hot Bhattis is reuniting to run another Ragnar Trail Relay. The last time we raced together, we ate nothing but KIND Bars for 32 hours. This time around, I want to be prepared with the types of snacks that keep me away from the all-you-can-eat s’mores table at 2 a.m.

So against the recommendation of every doctor in America (probably), I bought every meat-based protein bar that I could get my hands on. After a frustratingly long search, I ended up with an Epic Bar, a Krave Stick, and one from an off-brand called “Vermont Smoke & Cure.” I rated each one on a scale of “Rag-nommm or Rag-nahhh.” Here’s what I found.

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2018 Brooklyn Half Race Recap

brooklyn_half_finish

brooklyn_half_finish
After the 2018 NYC Half, I kind of figured I had peaked. Sure, this version of me is (a little) obsessive about executing training plans. But also, I really like chicken fingers and have zero desire to stop liking them.

Still, I was pretty optimistic after my build-up for the 2018 Brooklyn Half. And by “optimistic,” I felt that if everything went well, I could run 1:40 or slightly faster. “1:39:59 would be so cool,” I told anyone who would listen. “But a lot of things would have to fall into place for all my wildest dreams to come true.”

So, did things fall into place? Here’s the part where I force you to read on to find out!

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The Weather for the 2018 Brooklyn Half Might Suck

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brooklyn_half_finish
Yesterday, I saw at least a half dozen stories on Instagram about the forecast for the 2018 Brooklyn Half. It does not look awesome. Apparently, we should expect some combination of rain, thunderstorms, and Sharknado on Saturday morning.

I have a well-documented history of complaining about race-day weather. But I learned a lot after this year’s Boston Marathon, even though I didn’t run it. My biggest takeaway? No matter how well you train for a race, there’s literally nothing you can do to stop a monsoon from happening.

But I also understand this isn’t comforting to anyone running the Brooklyn Half. I’m not pumped, either. Still, here are a few reminders to (maybe) help you get the most out of the race, even if all of your wildest dreams don’t come true.

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What I Think I Learned From Running While on Vacation

big_sur

big_surA couple weeks ago, Jess and I drove down the Pacific Coast Highway from San Francisco to Los Angeles. I didn’t travel a lot before we got married, so this trip made me feel very fancy. Plus, we got a whole bunch of pictures that look great on Instagram.

As excited as I was to see the West (er, Best?) Coast, I was also worried that I wouldn’t be able to run while on vacation. And I expected to be very annoying about it after we got home. “The Pacific Ocean was, like, so inspiring,” I thought I’d say whenever someone asked about the trip. “But I didn’t do my long run, so basically all my goals for the spring are shot.”

As someone who still isn’t exactly well-traveled, I learned a few lessons about running while on vacation. Here are a few of the most important things I think I learned last week.

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Is It a Running Belt, or Is It Just a Fanny Pack?

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running_beltLike most teenagers, I tried so hard to be cool in high school. So if you had told me that I’d own multiple running fanny packs as an adult, I bet my response would have been a quote from a dumb song about being young forever. Then, I would have asked you to delete my phone number.

Fast forward a few years, and I’m now the proud owner of three fanny packs for running. Or, are they running belts? Sometimes it’s hard to say.

That got me thinking—what is the difference between a running belt and a fanny pack? To find the answer, I dug three running belts out of my dresser and took a closer look.

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