While you read this, we are in Athens, Greece, gearing up for the SOLD OUT official Athens Authentic Marathon THIS SUNDAY! 60,000 runners will be running the various races this weekend, 20,000 of which are running the marathon! That's a lot of runners!
Running Friends Are the Best Friends!
I cannot believe this weekend is finally here! My dear friend, Richard, and I have been planning this trip for over a year! Rich has been my running and destination-race partner since my very first relay back in 2015, and I'm so honored he asked me if I'd like to run the original marathon route!
I'm so excited we convinced our friends Juliette, Eric, and Cybele to join us. Races are much more fun with friends!
And I'm even more excited that my boyfriend, Mike, who has never run more than a 5k race or hiked more than 18 miles at once, agreed to let me train him for his first ever marathon! What better marathon to train for than the original marathon route from Marathon to Athens in Greece!
I don't know what I was thinking when I said I'd train Mike for his very first marathon! Mike and I have spent hours upon hours of running in the daytime, nighttime, rain, sun, heat, and cold! Long gone are the dress-up dates at fancy restaurants with cocktails and fabulous food! These days, date night consists of running in sweaty, smelly clothing and then devouring massive amounts of food before crashing on my couch to mindless shows. Somehow, we still like each other! Thank god!
I did make one rule while training him. I said: "As your girlfriend, I don't expect you to do whatever I want whenever I want. But as your coach, you better do as I say...or else!"
Mike, being the ever-so-intelligent man that he is, often asks: "Who is speaking right now: my coach or my girlfriend ?" hahahahaha
Friends! Trust me when I say, if you'd like to put the strength of your relationship to the test, train for a distance race together!
All joking aside, I feel so blessed to have a partner by my side who is willing to go on new adventures with me! I'm so honored to run by Mike's side on the original marathon route! It will be so amazing! We are not going for speed because we want to be tourists and take tons of pictures along the way! But you can follow our progress by tracking my bib number: 18638 on the official Athens Marathon App!
And now, without further ado, I present to you our team IllumiNITE race shirts! Thank you, IllumiNITE for outfitting us on race day! Love these colors and the design is so fun! And let's not forget REFLECTIVE, too!
Stay tuned for a recap of Athens Authentic Marathon and other Greece adventures when we return! In the meantime, if you're looking for new running gear, be sure to use my discount code Sera15 at IllumiNITE for 15% off your entire order! Where are you running this weekend? Comment below!
An IllumiNITEd date, captured by photographer Matt Francis
Fabric Lots in the Dark
Yesterday was so much fun! Mike and I drove to Fall River for our official photoshoot with IllumiNITE! We got to meet with the IllumiNITE team, tour the factory, and check out the newest
IllumiNITE styles—some of which aren't even out yet! I just wanted to twirl around in the lots of fabric, but I restrained myself; I am a professional after all (hee hee). I did take flash pictures to see what patterns lit up, and that was a fun surprise. It was so cool to see where the magic happens. And it was very clear how proud everyone was of the work they did, and they should be! The designs, the fit, the comfort—I could live in IllumiNITE clothing forever!
When we walked into the area where the pop up store lives, I felt like Charlie in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. I wanted to run up and down the aisles, grabbing this shirt and that jacket, and ooh! These gloves are so cool! I want them all and I want them now! Okay, maybe I felt more like Varuca Salt. But you get the gist. Before I could begin my impromptu shopping spree, the IllumiNITE team announced it was time to go to the photoshoot location!
We walked around downtown Fall River, seeking various shots for the different outfits. Good thing running has helped me get over my shyness because wardrobe changes happened in the van-turned-dressing-room. It mostly concealed us, but if you ever see semi-naked photos of me on the Internet....well, you'll know why. haha
Then we were on camera! We walked, we posed, we ran, we had silly conversations, and I even got to jump around and do all the silly poses I love doing at races. For once, "act natural" didn't get me into trouble! What I appreciated most was that the IllumiNITE team asked that I didn't wear makeup. It's refreshing to work for a company that appreciates women's natural faces.
The funniest part of the shoot was when the photographer exclaimed: "What's going on here?"
You see, Mike kept flirting with me to make me laugh while I was doing my solo shots. He made comments like: "Just stare into my eyes" and "Why don't you pretend you're texting me" and other silly comments to help me look more natural on camera.
It's always an adventure with us!
Matt had no idea we were a couple, a "power model couple" as my friend Heather jokingly calls us. I couldn't stop laughing hysterically for a long while. I could only imagine what a creep Mike must have seemed to the photographer who thought we'd just met on location. I truly appreciate Matt speaking up, though, because if we weren't a couple, Mike's comments would have been inappropriate. Thanks for looking out, Matt!
But the biggest surprise of the day? The IllumiNITE team gave me the team shirts they designed for us for the Athens Authentic Marathon! I'm getting so excited! I cannot believe I'll be running the original marathon route in just 36 days! It's a marathoner's dream!
In the Dark
(L to R): Brynne Sawyer,
Sera Rivers, Meg Decubellis
I want to give a big shoutout to the IllumiNITE design team, Meg and Brynne, and photographer Matt Francis for making us feel like stars! It was such a great experience!
Lights! Camera! IllumiNITEd! ... And that's a wrap!
October is such a busy month as I'm gearing up for not one, but two marathons! So be sure to follow my blog for updates!
My Fave travel tote bag, made by my Mom
from cloth I purchased in a marketplace
near Konko Village in Ghana
I've been traveling a lot lately, and it's been hard to keep the days of the week straight, let alone know what time it is in the whatever place I woke up. But my nonstop traveling has finally slowed for a bit, and it's give me a chance to give my weary legs and even wearier luggage a much needed rest.
So I thought I'd take a moment to reflect on all the places I've run this year: California, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island! (I know I'm forgetting a state or two in there!) I've run two mountain races, a bunch of smaller road races (13.1 miles or less), and not one, but two, ultramarathons!
Oh right! In May, I ran Kintyre Way Ultra, a 32-mile ultramarathon from Tayinloan to Tarbert, Scotland! How could I ever forget that?! Don't worry, I didn't really forget. But I did forget to compile the video! So guess what I did today?! Hope you enjoy it! I've embedded it at the end of the post.
Sleepy but cozy, wearing IllumiNITE apparel
on my plane ride to my next destination
As marathon training once again kicks into high gear (we're at half marathon distance this weekend—Woot!), I'm getting excited for some upcoming races. More races also means more travel! But at this point I feel like a pro—maybe not quite George Clooney in Up In the Air pro. But I do alright. And I'm so grateful that IllumiNITE clothing packs light and compact for travel. It's so easy to just roll up (or fold) and store in any type of luggage. Whether I'm lugging a large suitcase, hoisting a small carry-on, or shouldering a small tote bag, IllumiNITE clothing makes traveling lightweight and easy. Check out my IllumiNITE Apparel Revealed for the Kintyre Way Ultra video to see just how compact IllumiNITE apparel can get. What I love about this video is that the packaging reminds me of a clown car....the bright clothing just keeps tumbling out! Additionally, I often wear IllumiNITE capris, tee-shirt, and sometimes a jacket for lengthy travel times. This keeps me so comfortable while sitting for long periods of time and allows for a second (or third) workout outfit on-the-go.
And on-the-go I'll be very soon! I have a few small road races coming up, and I'll post those soon on an event page I'm in the midst of creating. But I'm most excited for my next two marathons! *Drumroll please*
At the end of October, I'll be at the Cape Cod Clam Chowdah Challenge in Falmouth, Massachusetts. I'm just running the marathon on Sunday, but I'll be at the Expo with IllumiNITE on Saturday. Stop on by to say HI! and check out IllumiNITE's latest styles! Are you running the full Challenge (39.3 miles in two days)? I did in 2017, and it was so much fun!
In November, I'll be at Athens Marathon, the Authentic! As a writer, I'm always traveling to my favorite writer's homes and gravesites for inspiration. So naturally, as an official marathoner, I must run the original marathon route from Marathon to Athens! Plus, Greece! *Swoon*
Where are you most excited to run this year? Tell me what you're training for in the comments below!
And as promised, here's the video of me running Kintyre Way Ultra! (Spoiler: there's a little something for you at the end of the video!)
