Keep Your Loved Ones Safe This Valentine's Day, and Always

My baby boy, circa 1998

A few weeks ago, I dropped my son off at college, and it was more emotional than I expected. See, my son has been in college for a few years now. Dropping him off and picking him up has become old hat (that phrase makes me now feel old, but I digress). It's been a mundane routine over the years of packing him up, shipping him out, packing him up again, and shipping him home. 

But, this year felt so much different. For starters, he had been living on campus mostly year-round, as he took summer courses in addition to his fall and spring semesters. When I moved in with my partner last summer, my son had only stayed at my house about ten nights of the year. Even when the pandemic hit, my son was one of the few allowed to stay on campus. But when the college opened up its campus to students again in September, my son decided he wanted to learn remotely.

This pandemic brought us closer together
with family nights on the couch

Being in a new place and having my son move into that place took a lot of adjusting on all of our parts. Mike had to renovate a room for him; we had to figure out where to store all his belongings; we all had to learn to live in harmony together, while having different daily routines and eating habits. After a few rocky weeks, we found our living together groove. We established family routines, such as eating dinners together no matter what the rest of our day looked like; going for hikes and walks and runs together; watching a dedicated TV show together. 

So proud of his achievements!

This pandemic offered an opportunity I don't think I would have had otherwise. My son is at the point in his life where he'll soon go off and live on his own, create his own life, and our time together will lessen. Having my son in my home during the pandemic also gave me a sense of relief knowing that he was safe. I hadn't realized that I hold this nagging anxiety when he's away from home—that he's out in the world on his own and there's nothing I can do about it. Of course, this is what every parent wants to achieve ultimately—to raise their children to be self-sufficient, successful. But it's still hard to say goodbye to the baby boy that used to love cuddling on the couch with a good movie and hot cocoa.

When my son got accepted into a new college more than three hours away, I felt a little anxiety about the distance, about the pandemic, about him being so far away in a new place on his own. But I was also very excited for his new adventure. I was also ready to go back to the calm, quiet lifestyle that Mike and I had become accustomed to before my son moved in. So I set about packing my son's life up once again and making sure he had everything to be self-sufficient and successful at his new school.

IllumiNITE's cool, reflective design will keep
my son visible to drivers despite dark and winter conditions

Before I knew it, time ran out and it was moving day! We packed up a rented minivan (with unlimited miles!) and made the three-plus hour trek to upstate Vermont. Due to the pandemic,  we weren't allowed to help him move into college. We had to stay outside, so we unpacked the minivan, left them on the steps of his dorm, and gave a quick farewell—did I mention that it was only nine degrees out? Brrrrrr! 

My son's been living in Vermont for the past few years, so he's fully equipped for Vermont
winters with thermal wear and a heavy duty jacket and gloves. Since he doesn't have a car, we bought him a mountain bike so that he can get around campus—and have some fun in Vermont's epic wooded trails! I made sure he had all the safety accessories: helmet, blinking lights, reflective strips. But on the drive home, I realized exactly how remote he was, remembered how quickly it gets dark in the winter, and panic seized me. Why didn't I buy him reflective clothing before he left? And then it really hit me: my baby boy has once again left the nest, and I missed him terribly already.

Who's that sneaking up in the dark? 
Phew! It's just my son being silly
on our evening walk!

Thankfully, Mike is very attuned to my feelings, and he comforted me on the ride home. "We can always go hiking in Vermont and visit him when it's safe to do so." Tears welled up in my eyes. 

"He's only a car ride away, not across country." I nodded. 

"We can finally watch whatever we want on TV." That one made me laugh.

And now that we're watching The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel on Amazon Prime (highly recommend!), I remembered that it's a good thing to have such an ambitious, driven child who wants to venture out on his own. 

"He takes after him mom," Mike said.

Safety orange will keep my son safe from hunters
when he's on the trails in the woods

And then I remembered just because he's not home doesn't mean I can't keep him safe. There's this wonderful thing called online shopping where purchases can be shipped anywhere in the world. And since I love the safety that IllumiNITE provides, I opened up my browser and bought my son their Reflective Waterproof Bike Helmet Cover and their Vizi Reflective Orange Bib in Safety Orange.

IllumiNITE is more than an athletic apparel company; they offer a variety of products for women, men, kids, and even pets; Safety is IllumiNITE's top priority. From tote bags to Halloween capes to dog leashes, IllumiNITE has something for everyone. 

My favorite Valentine's

Looking for gift ideas for Valentine's Day? Give the ultimate gift of love with IllumiNITE's reflective products. Use discount code BOGOVALENTINE* (automatically applied at discount) to get 50% off a second item when you buy one at full price! That's an amazing savings...especially if you're buying one of their Winter Jackets! And you can keep your loved ones safe the other eleven months of the year with my discount code RunBrightly15 for 15% off your order. 

How do you keep your loved ones safe? 

Leave a comment below!

Have a very Happy and Safe Valentine's Day!

*Buy one regular price item, get one regular price item of equal or lesser value 50% off; Active from 12:00 AM Feb 12 to 11:59 PM Feb 19; May be used more than once; cannot be combined with other discounts

Best Running Clothes For Finicky Fall Weather

I've never lived outside of New England; yet every year, I'm shocked when the temperature drops from the eighties to sixties, then soars up to the nineties over the course of a week—sometimes even over the course of ONE DAY! New England is definitely known for it's finicky fall weather, which makes it quite difficult to dress properly for a run.

IllumiNITE Featherlite Jacket

I really don't like being too hot, but I absolutely detest being even the slightest bit cold, especially when running. My muscles get all stiff, my hands go numb, and my nose drips wet. Fortunately, IlumiNITE offers lightweight clothing that I can layer to keep me warm in brisk temperatures and easily remove when I get too hot.

My favorite item, hands down, is IllumiNITE's Women's Featherlite Reflective Hooded Nylon Packable Jacket in Graphite. I know I rave about this jacket all the time, but seriously, it's the lightest material ever. You barely notice you're wearing it. It has two zip pockets on the outside to protect valuable items such as my license and car key, and larger internal pockets to store running snacks and my phone. And it has a hood to lock out cold air in windy conditions and keep my head dry in the rain. Its most prominent feature is its reflective powers. The whole jackets illuminates in the dark when hit by headlights, flashlights, and streetlamps. But my most favorite thing about this jacket? I can easily ball it up and store it in my running vest on longer runs if I get too hot. I can also tie it around my waist without irritation when I'm not wearing my vest.

Bling Vigor reflective design

Bling Vigor Singlet

Don't let the lightweight material fool you. This Featherlite Jacket traps body heat like crazy! So I like to pair it with lightweight tops, such as IllumiNITE's Women's Reflective Bling Vigor Singlet in Charcoal, which is actually on sale right now!

And to tie everything together, I wear IllumiNITE's Women's Reflective Power Stretch Capri in Black. This capri is so versatile, it looks great with whatever styles and colors I'm wearing on top. Plus, it makes me look quite shapely while keeping me warm and dry. I also love the deep pockets on both sides that grip my phone and keep my snacks in place once my Featherlite Jacket comes off.

Power Stretch Capris,
Dovetail Tee, Featherlite Jacket

I don't know about you, but once I'm done with a run, I totally need to slip into cozy clothes. IlumiNITE's Reflective String Bag is big enough to carry a change of clothing and one pair of shoes, and it's even managed to double as a comfortable running tote when I forget my vest for a planned long run (by wrapping the strings around my waist and securing them in a knot tied tightly across my chest).  I'm usually headed off to my next adventure, whether it's visiting with friends, running errands, or continuing my day outside in nature. And that's where IllumiNITE's Bristol Reflective Jacket in Red Aztec comes in. It feels so soft against my skin, and has enough pockets to carry my essentials.

Bristol Reflective Jacket
 and Drawstring Bag

The leaves are already starting to turn, and soon this finicky weather is going to grow into a full-blown winter tantrum. So next week, I'll be visiting IllumiNITE headquarters in Fall River to meet with the team, tour the place, and to try out their newest styles so I can stay warm—and safe—as the days grow colder and shorter.

Stay tuned to hear about my Fall River adventures. You just might catch me in an IllumiNITE photoshoot.

In the meantime, use 15% off discount code Sera15  to stock up on some of your IllumiNITE faves.

How do you stay warm, yet cool and dry, in this finicky fall weather? 

Night Running: Who's Afraid of the Dark?

Daylight savings time might not end until November, but the days are definitely getting shorter. This means more opportunities for night running. Yes!

When I first started running, I never considered running at night. To me, night running could only mean one thing: escape from imminent danger, or death! Obviously.

But fast forward to 2017. My friends and I entered Ragnar's Reach the Beach—a 200-mile relay race in New Hampshire from the White Mountains to Hampton Beach. Running at night was inevitable. And I'll admit. I WAS AFRAID! I must have been in denial that we had to run at night because I didn't properly prepare. Sure, I brought the mandatory gear required for the race. But I didn't try my borrowed headlamp until race night, discovering all too late that it didn't fit well, and the lamp was spotty. And, my vest's small reflective strip barely made me visible. Yikes! Fortunately, we were in in a controlled environment with occasional patrol vehicles and a few spectators cheering us on. My support van was not too far away, and my best friend ran by my side.

You can barely see us! Night running
at Ragnar Reach the Beach

The steady thump-thump-thumping of our shoes against pavement lulled my fear to sleep. Mostly. A small amount of nagging anxiety remained, so I used it to fuel my excitement. I was doing something new! Something I never imagined doing before! I was running on a tree-lined street with no streetlights in the middle of the night! And I wasn't doing it to escape imminent danger! I was doing it for fun! MIND BLOWN!

That first plunge into literal darkness sparked a newfound joy. Here's what I learned about night running:

• The air is cool and crisp
• I experience quietude as the world settles down from its day
• I focus on being present because I'm more alert about my surroundings
• My muscles feel more limber (vs. feeling stiff from sleep during early morning runs)
• I sleep so much better when I run at night
• It spices up the monotony of everyday routines 

These days, I find myself running at night often because I'm always training for some distance race. But here's the thing: I don't even think twice about it anymore, especially because I now own the proper night running gear. I have a new-and-improved bright headlamp so I can see where I'm stepping and a flashing red light that clips onto my clothes. Best of all, my reflective IllumiNITE running clothes illuminate me like a spotlight so drivers and other people on the road can see me running a mile away (okay, maybe "a mile away" is hyperbolic; but maybe not; I've not tested the actual distance, haha). I'm also especially conscious of following safety rules while running at night. Need a refresher? Check out my post CAUTION: RUNNERS ON ROAD for a list of running safety tips.

How I look BEFORE light hits me!

An IllumiNITED runner
SHINES BRIGHT like a spotlight
(rocking Featherlite Jacket in Graphite
and Reflective Shortie in Black)

Run Brightly!

So while I'm sad that the days are getting shorter (and colder), I'm definitely excited for more night running. The running groups I belong to have frequent night runs during the week. And let's face it: It's more fun to run in the dark with friends—especially in the woods.

So I challenge you to give it a try. Find a running group in your area and go for a weeknight run! Many running stores, like Marathon Sports, host run clubs that include weeknight runs. Or you could invite a friend—or two, or five!—to an evening neighborhood jog. Or IllumiNITE your dog and ramp up your pace when you take doggie out at night. Whatever you decide, I bet you'll find your newfound joy in night running.

Need an extra push out the door? It's Friday the 13th, and there's a full moon out tonight. What are you waiting for?

Get out there and howl like you're not afraid of the dark!