Goals For The Reston 10 Miler

Posted on March 4, 2016 by Coco

This weekend is my first race of 2016–The Reston 10 Miler. I have been training for the hills, but I haven’t been training for a specific target pace. Still I have a few goals in mind.

Reston 10 Miler Goals

  1. Don’t DNS. Yep, I’m starting small with this goal. We are going to visit my son the day before, so I will have to make sure that we don’t get home too late. The race starts at 8:00 am, it’s about an hour away, and I will be doing race day packet pick-up, so I need to be there early. Last year I almost DNS’d due to the weather–snow!–so I guess that could be a factor too. 
  2. Don’t Forget My Earbuds. Yes, I race with music. Sorry, I’m not sorry! Last year I forgot my earbuds and went to great lengths–and several stores–to find some before the race started. FYI, I finally found some at CVS.
  3. Meet Up For The MRTT Group Photo. A lot of women in the local Moms Run This Town chapters are doing this race. I’ve get a sketchy track record of making group photos and really hope to make this one. At the very least I hope to meet up with Deborah.
  4. Enjoy The Course. Yes, the course is hilly, but it’s also pretty, and there are enough loops and turns so that it never gets boring. There aren’t usually tons of supporters out, but there are enough volunteers to keep me going–and make sure I don’t miss a turn. 
  5. Finish At A Sub-9:00 Pace. Last year I set a PR with an 8:20 pace. The year before, I ran at an 8:42 pace. Maybe this year I can split the difference with an 8:30-ish pace?

[Tweet “Goals For The Reston 10 Miler #runchat”]

I’m joinin the Friday Five link up with Eat Pray Run DC, Mar on the Run and You Signed Up for What?!.

Please come back tomorrow for the Ultimate Coffee Date Link Up!

Posted in Fitness | 17 Comments

The Serendipity Of Science

Posted on March 2, 2016 by Coco

As I’ve shared here before, I make my living as a patent attorney. I’ve even co-authored a book on patent law and have an award-winning patent legal blog. 

Patent Reform Book

I spent so many late nights writing and editing this book! Continue reading →

Posted in About Me | Tagged , | 17 Comments

Garmin VivosmartHR Review

Posted on February 28, 2016 by Coco

It’s been a month since I made that almost-impulse purchase at REI (the last stop of my post-blizzard shopping spree), and now I am ready to share my Garmin VivosmartHR review with you. Keep reading to find out what I love about this new activity tracker, what I don’t, and which features I use most frequently.

Garmin VivosmartHR
The reason I call this an almost-impulse purchase is because I hadn’t even heard of the Vivosmart HR until the night before I bought it. I did research it pretty thoroughly on the Garmin website and other on-line reviews, and it sounded like the perfect upgrade to my Garmin Vivosmart, which I reviewed here and here. Continue reading →

Posted in Fitness, Product Reviews | Tagged , | 34 Comments

Five Things About The New Starbucks Rewards Program

Posted on February 25, 2016 by Coco

I was on my way to Starbucks when I got the email, and stopped in my tracks to do the math. I knew that Starbucks was considering revising its rewards program to take into account how much you spend in a given transaction, but the structure of the new Starbucks Rewards program was not adding up.

New StarbucksRewards Program
Since this week’s Friday Five link up with Eat Pray Run DC, Mar on the Run and You Signed Up for What?! has a “free” theme, here are five things you need to know about the new Starbucks Rewards program. Continue reading →

Posted in Fitness | Tagged | 26 Comments

Aquafaba Meringues – An Amazing Recipe

Posted on February 24, 2016 by Coco

Do you know what “aquafaba” is? I hadn’t even heard the word until a few weeks ago, but after making aquafaba meringues, I am intrigued by this nearly-free, vegan-friendly ingredient. The word “aquafaba” literally means “bean liquid” and refers to the liquid brine in a can of chickpeas (or the liquid resulting from cooking chickpeas). It turns out that this liquid has emulsifying and foaming properties similar to egg whites that makes it useful as an egg substitute!

Aquafaba Meringues
Aquafaba is a great discovery for vegans, and a cheaper alternative to eggs if you already are using canned chickpeas. Continue reading →

Posted in Food | Tagged , , | 13 Comments