Cleveland Marathon Training & Race Giveaway

It's that time of the year again... I am all signed up for the RiteAid Cleveland Marathon! It's become like a right of passage into spring for me. This race was my first half marathon in 2008 and then my first full marathon in 2010 so I have many fond memories of running through the streets of Cleveland each year in the Cleveland Marathon!

Some years I've PR'd the course and other years like last year I've hardly survived. This year I will be running the HOF marathon a few weeks before to get ready for what I hope will be a strong 26.2 in Cleveland! So far my training has been going really well so I'm excited to see how I will do!

This year is the 40th anniversary of the race so they are giving away some really cool swag including a nice commemorative key chain to all participants and as always each participant will receive a high-quality tech tee and access to the fun after party! Want to join me and race on May 21? As an official ambassador for the marathon, I have a free entry to give away to the race distance of your choice. Simply leave a comment on this post and I will randomly select a winner next Monday. Goodluck and Happy Running!

Holiday Race Reports & Legends 5K Race Giveaway

The first couple weeks of January have flown by with vacation and travel for work. I was able to spend a couple of weeks in Florida and run in the sunshine and on the beach. Prior to vacation I did get in a couple of short races to end the year.

post race with santa!

The first race was the inaugural Spirit of the Season 5K in North Canton. I really had no expectations for the race but to get in speed work. It was a cross country style course that went around a high school and included asphalt, cement and gravel and there were a couple of good hills for extra fun. The whole time I felt like I was dying since this was the first faster effort I had run in quite some time. Although it wasn't my best effort I ended up running a 21:50, which was good enough to win the female race. For winning I received a free entry for the Hall of Fame Marathon's Legend's 5K race. Since I will be racing the marathon the next day I will not race the 5k the day before. I am giving away my entry. Simply leave a comment below letting me know that you want to run the race, which will be on Saturday, April 29 and I will randomly select a winner early next week.

love the medal!

The next race was the Frosty 5 Miler on Christmas Eve in Hudson. We had done this race last year and had a good time and it's a nice little tradition to kick off the holiday with a race. I felt better during this race than I did during the 5K, which is progress. My pace was about the same too. I just missed breaking 35 with my 35:02 (7:00) pace. I was happy with the age group win and rewarded myself with a tasty Christmas eve beer for the hard work.

I don't have anything officially planned now until the HOF marathon although I am debating some races in Jan-April depending on my schedule and how I feel.

Inaugural Trip to Royal Docks Brewing

A few weeks ago before the holiday my husband and I had a dinner event to attend in Massillon. Since we were in the area we decided to stop ahead of time at Royal Docks Brewing in Jackson Township. We had recently tried their Vlad the Impaler Russian Imperial Stout and loved it so we were excited to explore some of their other beers.

Now this is a nice paddle! 

In my opinion the best way to try a variety of beers is to order a paddle. Generally you get 4-6 5-oz styles to try for around $10 or so. This was our approach at Royal Docks. Their flight comes with six selections, which is generous. I started with the Vlad because it's now one of my favorite imperial stouts and although it's 13%, it is quite smooth and drinkable. I also tried the Baba Yaga Porter, Prodigal IPA, Tanglefoot IPA, Yuletide Ale and they brew fresh Kombucha, which is non-alcoholic but I could not pass that up as I really enjoy Kombucha.

All of the beers were smooth and drinkable. I enjoyed the IPAS, they were well-hopped. The porter was smooth. I am not the biggest fan of holiday ales but theirs was spicy and good, garnished with fresh rosemary and cranberries. The Kombucha was also good.

Love this hat!

We did not try the food yet as we had a dinner following our visit but the menu sounds enticing. The service was good, the facility is clean and modern and overall we had a great experience so we will be back!

In the meantime I can show off my new Royal Docks beanie, which is helping to keep me warm on these cold Ohio winter days! I couldn't resist the tagline "Mind the Tap". Indeed!