Grits in the City - discounts and faves

Hope you enjoy all these as much as I do!

half marathon training: check in going into my third half

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Well, it’s less than a month until my half marathon. I can’t believe it is almost here! Figured I would share a quick update on how everything is going training for my third half marathon.

Half marathon training plan

I’ve kept to the same half marathon training plan as I’ve used for the other half marathons I have run. Not ready to possibly mess up a good thing! I’ve been using Hal Higdon’s Novice 1, which does a great job of helping me to scale up my runs and allows me some flexibility to still have time to go to classes at the aerial studio. I’ve also been taking some Peloton classes — specifically cycling, yoga, bike bootcamp and strength for runners.

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Running a race in costume: 6 tips to help you plan

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Halloween is approaching. The candy is stocked at all the stores while costumes as starting to sell out everywhere. Eeeek. No stress!

It’s common for themed races to pop up for the holidays, including Halloween. Last year, I ran my second half marathon (and first one that wasn’t virtual) on Halloween. I tried to find information going into my race about running in costume and couldn’t find the best details on it. I definitely have some learnings to share based on my experience running a race in costume so hopefully you can be better prepared for yours!

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5 things to keep in mind regarding roof repairs

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When buying a home, there are certain things you scrutinize closely — with the age and condition of the roof being one of the top ones on the list. And rightfully so. Depending on the size of your home, replacing it will cost somewhere in the thousands or tens of thousands of dollars and can impact your ability to occupy the home depending on the extent of repairs required. I know for us, this was a big concern we focused on during our homesearch since it was such a big ticket issue.

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Goat yoga with Healing with Crystal Flow and Air

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I’ve always been curious to try goat yoga. I love yoga. I love goats. Why wouldn’t I love yoga and goats? I’ve never come across goat yoga anywhere close enough to be possible — until last month!

When I saw it pop up as one of the workshops on the Air New Providence website, I was thrilled! The workshop was in partnership wit Samantha of Healing with Crystal Flow. Sam is also an Air instructor!

What to bring & wear

I was worried about what to wear since it was a pretty warm day. I was happy I went with a sleeveless shirt that was good for yoga but wasn’t cropped. If you want to have the goats on your back, I found it more comfortable to have on something that fully covered my back and that wasn’t too delicate that I’d be worried about it getting snagged.

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bobolink and hunterdon land trust’s farmers’ market

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I’ve been wanting to pay Bobolink Farm and Dairy a visit ever since we tried their cheddar as part of a cheese tasting with Vaughan Cheese at work. They weren’t doing tours for bit in the spring because there was so much rain but they’re back to doing them periodically and I finally found a weekend they offered one which worked for us, too.

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labor day sales: 2022 edition

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September is getting dangerously close (IMHO) to the holidays. If you are like me, the fall goes by in a blur — likely aided by the weekends that become filled with activities and college football games (Roll Tide!). These Labor Day sales are a perfect way to jump start knocking off some people from your holiday present list! I’ll continue to update this as I learn of more.

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5 reasons i send handwritten cards 

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I’m a writer. I love the feeling of pen to paper. Of putting my thoughts down, and looking back at them later. The same applies in communicating with my friends. I’m always chasing for address updates, trying to ensure I can send a note when the mood strikes or when certain moments throughout the year arise. I’ve made handwritten cards a part of my Mother’s Day routine — it has become an important part of processing my grief and lifting up others on the day to celebrate them.

Are you someone who doesn’t do this often? Letter writing seems to be dying out, but I am all about it as it has been so valuable for me over the years. Here are five reasons why I’ve made sending handwritten cards and notes such a priority.

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august faves

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I’m definitely not ready to turn the page on summer. I know it technically runs through something like September 22, but it seems like everyone is full steam ahead into fall. Iced pumpkin cold brew in one hand, and a beach towel in the other? Now that I can get behind. Here’s a bit of what’s been going on throughout the month in my world.

Favorite splurge: Summersalt

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sea girt and spring lake beach day

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I’m not sure why it has taken me all these summer Fridays to finally plan this, but the weekend before last I took off the full day to make a trip to Sea Girt and Spring Lake. We have typically taken family trips to Long Branch, but I wanted to see if we should bring the kids here instead.

The Scone Pony

I made a pitstop on the way down to Sea Girt at the Scone Pony. I’ll admit it was mainly because I liked the name but also because I don’t think I’ve seen another spot focus on scones! I figured it was a nice easy option for something to pickup and take with me to the beach. (I should note I learned no food is allowed on the beach at Sea Girt so I ate it at the tables in front of the Pavilion before I entered the beach.)

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saturday pitstop at bellemara distillery and flounder brewing company

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I’ve been curious about Bellemara Distillery and Flounder Brewing Company for a long time but we haven’t been that way with some time to visit while they were open — until this weekend on our way back from Snyder’s Farm Food Truck and Music Festival.

Two barn doors flank the large window into Bellemara Distillery in Hillsborough, New Jersey

Bellemara Distillery

Bellemara Distillery currently sells gin (a standard single malt variety in the London dry style with notes of Juniper and orange and a tropical one, including notes of Juniper and tropical fruit). They also sell a single malt grain spirit, which they described as similar to a vodka.

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