Best of the Weekend: Brooks Running Blog Ambassador Trip
Good morning! Happy Monday!
I had such an amazing weekend with the folks from Brooks and the other blog ambassadors. Guys, it was a blast. Oh my gosh, I feel like I have so much to tell you. Are you ready for a recap? Sit back and relax. Here’s the best of the weekend!
Visiting Brooks HQ and meeting the team
What a wonderful place with an awesome group of people. The new Brooks headquarters (it’s just about a year old) is absolutely beautiful both inside and out and everyone I met there was friendly, smart, and passionate about what they do. The company also has quite a few “green” and sustainable practices/initiatives to be proud of. Brooks is definitely a special company.
Brooks Running Blog Ambassadors (l-r) with “The Medalist” (she’s made out of race medals):
- Meghann – Meals and Miles
- Lora – Crazy Running Girl
- Tina – Carrots ‘N’ Cake
- Kristen – Fit Bottomed Girls
- Jesica – Run Lady Like
- Janae – Hungry Runner Girl
- Emily – Daily Garnish
Brooks incorporated some sneaker footprints into a nearby crosswalk as as way to connect with the surrounding community. The brand is very much a part of Seattle. They sponsor all sorts of races and events and, everywhere I looked (even outside of Brooks), I saw people wearing their sneakers and apparel.
Lunch with Jim Weber, the CEO of Brooks Running
Can we talk about this view? The Brooks folks have it made!
Our weekend officially kicked off with lunch outside at Brooks HQ with CEO, Jim Weber. Our group was actually running a little late (because of flight delays), but he rearranged his schedule just so he could chat with us for awhile. He also told us that he was planning to run the 8k at the Rock ‘N’ Roll Seattle on Saturday. Brooks is a sponsor of the race, so I thought it was pretty cool he was participating.
Learning about new Brooks gear
Brooks has some GREAT stuff coming out in the next few months. Some highlights on the shoe front: All sorts of amazing styles in their Heritage Collection (old school Brooks originals with a modern twist), a Mother Nature collection inspired by the seasons with seasonal sock liners (super cute), a Letterman jacket line inspired by universities from around the country, a coffee-themed collection (I can’t wait to see this), and so much more.
Brooks has also made some awesome updates to many of their core running shoes. Jeweled, metallic fade on the Gylcerin? Hello! I love these in a major way.
On the apparel front, Brooks is doing a lot more with “ath-leisure” gear, which is basically a mesh between performance gear and fashion/lifestyle/looking good aka my everyday wardrobe, so I am especially pumped about it!
Some cool features:
- A fold-up jacket with a build-in armband, so you can fold it up and put away once you’re warm or carry it with you if the weather is suppose to change during your run.
- Headphone notch on zipper (pictured below), so your headphone wires don’t bounce around when you run.
- Drop-in pocket on shorts/pants that fit an iPhone 6.
- New sizes! Brooks will carry size 0 – 20/22.
And, finally, we heard all about sports bras from Moving Comfort. (Did you know that Brooks owns Moving Comfort? They do indeed!) Moving Comfort carries such a wide variety of sports bra styles and sizes (their bands range from 30-44 and cups A – F), most women shouldn’t have a problem finding one that fits. Another great thing about Moving Comfort sports bras is their multi-dimension support, so they don’t just smoosh your breasts, compression-style. Instead they “encapsulate” them, so you have support from all angles. It’s also a much more flattering look. We all know “uni-boob” doesn’t look (or feel!) good.
Other things I learned:
- “No sports bra should celebrate a birthday.” Umm, I have sports bras that are like 10 years old. So that’s why I sometimes have issues with chaffing!
- Wash sports bras in a garment bag and line dry for best care. They will last longer!
- “If you don’t have to think about it (your sports bra), it’s working.” This is great advice.
- There isn’t a rule of thumb for sizing, but start with your bra size and figure out what feels good for you. Your breasts shouldn’t be spilling out of the cups and you should be able to stick two fingers comfortably under the band. It should be tight, but you should be able to breathe too!
Friday afternoon shake-out run
After our time at Brooks, we all headed out for a 2-mile shake-out run. After a long day of travel, it felt great to get moving!
Eating ridiculous amounts of pizza from Serious Pie
By the end of the day, I was starving and the pizza from Serious Pie was epic, so I ate a like 6 or 7 pieces.
Pre-race goodies
The Brooks people thought of everything with regard to race day. They gave us team t-shirts, fuel (GU Nuun), bottled water a Brooks water bottle, and even breakfast (bagels with banana and nut butter). It was awesome. They are runners; they get it.
Top Pot Doughnuts
Donuts were a great way to celebrate a half marathon! And Top Pot was a great place to do it!
Brunch at Portage Bay Café
The motto at Portage Bay Cafe is “Eat like you give a damn.” Isn’t that awesome? And after running a half marathon, I definitely did. Feed me!
I went with the Farmer’s Hash, which was eggs, veggies, and potatoes with chicken sausage. It was incredible. So fresh, so flavorful. I highly recommend this restaurant for brunch. You will not be disappointed!
Dinner at Loulay
Our final meal of the trip was absolutely wonderful… food, wine, friends. It was perfect.
Hanging out with some truly incredible people
I am so fortunate to have met such an amazing group of runners. I can’t say enough wonderful things about the other ambassadors and folks from Brooks. We had such a great time, and I can’t wait to see everyone again soon.
THANK YOU, Brooks, for an incredible weekend!
The end.
