Product Review: Knockaround Fast Lanes 😎

Disclaimer: I received a pair of Knockaround Fast Lanes to review as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to review, find, and write race reviews!

I'm a huge sunglasses-wearer when it comes to my outdoor runs. I find that if I'm running without shade on my eyes, I'm more likely to give myself a huge headache from straining my eyes for a long period of time. I usually reach for really inexpensive sunglasses because I'm notorious for breaking and/or losing sunglasses due to either my own carelessness or my own clumsiness. I can't tell you how many times I've broken/lost a pair of sunglasses because they've just fallen off the top of my head! 

Enter the Knockaround Fast Lanes:

I was sent a pair of Fast Lanes in the Neon Summer colorway. These shades are *totally* my style - both color and design - and as soon as I opened the package I knew I would be wearing these constantly. One thing that I tend to be concerned about when it comes to sunglasses is how they fit on my face, around my head, and on top of my ears. I wear eyeglasses regularly so I know that if glasses don't fit right, it's all you can think about while you're wearing them. I was thrilled with how comfortably these fit on my face without feeling too loose. They're super lightweight as well, so if I was wearing them on my face or on the top of my head, they felt great!

 

I went out on more than a dozen runs with my Fast Lanes over the last few weeks and it's become a habit for me to reach for these before heading out the door! Sometimes if you have the wrong type of shades for running, they can bounce around, slide off your nose, or fog up as you exercise, but I have to say that these were PERFECT every time I took them out. My runs were a variety of lengths of distance and time, and I can't think of one negative thing about the way they felt. I loved wearing my Fast Lanes so much that I...

...bought several more pairs for both Brett and myself!

Knockaround was having a killer sale on some designs so I decided that it was the perfect time to stock up for the sunnier months ahead! The prices for Knockaround shades is SO affordable that I did not feel bad at all about ordering some extra pairs, especially because I know I'll use them all the time! I have to say that Brett has been a big fan of his new Knockaround shades as well! 😉

Overall I would HIGHLY recommend Knockarounds. I am personally so excited about these shades and I can totally foresee myself investing in more pairs in the future. You gotta have a design for every occasion, amirite? 😉 If you're interested in checking out Knockarounds, go ahead and give them a try! You can see every product they have available over on their website - knockaround.com!

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February, March, and April 2020 Reading Wrap Up + 2020 Reading Stats Update

It has definitely been a while since I've done a reading wrap up, and now that the academic year is over I thought it would be the perfect time to update you on what I've been reading these last three months! If you remember from my January wrap up (doesn't that feel like it was 5 years ago?), I've been wanting to report in on more of my reading stats month to month so I have a good idea of what the scope of my reading looked like at the conclusion of 2020. It took me a good long while to get all of my stats together, but I'm happy to report that everything is updated! I'm going to put all of these stats under a page break, so make sure you click "Read more" to see everything I've read since February. Hopefully I'll be more on top of these monthly wrap ups moving forward! 😋

Things I'm Enjoying While in Self-Isolation

Hi folks! It's been a while since I've posted here. Between moving and settling in and a somehow extremely busy few weeks at work (who knew things could be so demanding at work when no one is on campus?), I really haven't had a lot of motivation to record what's been going on here on this platform. I have been vlogging and will be posting a couple more weekly vlogs from April very soon (the first two weeks of April are up now!), but I'm hoping now that my work schedule is slowing down I can commit more time to updating the ol' blog. I do have quite a few updates for you, which I'll hop into now:

1. Rock n' Roll Seattle has officially announced that it will not move forward as planned. There isn't solid information if that means it's cancelled, postponed, or what, but that does mean that I won't be racing a marathon in June. As weeks went by, I knew this was going to happen and I'm slightly relieved that it has been made official as I was leaning more toward not travelling out there anyway and was hemming and hawing over cancelling my flights and deferring my entry, but now I no for sure that it won't happen and can have a clear sense of what my summer will look like. I'm still going to be running regularly, but now I won't have to focus on training for a race for a few months when Chicago training gets under way.

2. The students I advise won Organization of the Year! I am so so SO proud of them and this award is so deserved. The students I work with on AIA work around the clock as VOLUNTEERS to manage our university's student activity fee and are constantly trying to innovate their work to be better representatives of the student body, so I am over the moon that they are getting this recognition. 

3. I'm feeling like I'm back in a pretty good reading groove right now, and I just successfully wrapped up my third OWLs readathon! I managed to read 7 books through the month of April and I'm hoping that I can keep up this reading pace through May as well. I'm well on my way to becoming a Hogwarts Care of Magical Creatures Professor! I will hopefully be posting a reading wrap up soon for February, March, and April, so you'll be able to see how I rated each book. I drafted the below list a few weeks ago with the intention of publishing it in early April, but I guess I never got around to it! Obviously I've been trying out a lot of different forms of entertainment while practicing self-isolation, and I wanted to share some of my favorite things I've watched/read/done while I've been home. Hopefully you can enjoy some of these things as well! 
VIDEO: Out There: A Journey to the Barkley Marathons
I'm always a fan of anything that has to do with the Barkley Marathons and I'm always looking to check out the experiences of the amazing athletes who attempt this beast of a race. This 50-minute documentary follows Belgian ultra runner Karel Sabbe on his journey to running the 2019 Barkley Marathons. I really liked this documentary because it also highlights the importance of a runner's crew when they are taking on races of this magnitude. A crew plays such an integral role in a runner's success and I love that Sabbe's crew got some of the spotlight!

MOVIE: Parasite

Obviously Parasite won best picture this year, and I will say that I think that award was definitely deserved! This is a Korean thriller that had me so captivated the whole way through. It does get a bit scary about half way through so if you need to watch during the day, definitely do, but I totally think it is worth the watch. It's on Hulu now!

BOOK: Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid

To be perfectly honest, I've had a bit of a "meh" reading year. A lot of the books that I've been picking up have been just okay. I guess statistically speaking, that's pretty likely to happen, but when I find a book that I love these days, I DEVOUR it! That's what happened with Daisy Jones & the Six. This interview-style book about a fictional 70's rock band was right up my alley and I could not put it down. The characters and relationships were EVERYTHING and this one will definitely be on my top reads of the year.

ARTICLE: Why You Should Ignore All That Coronavirus-Inspired Productivity Pressure
This is an article I *so* needed to read when it popped up on my timeline a few weeks ago. This is told from the perspective of a college professor, but I think the idea applies to everyone. There's a lot of pressure to be taking "full advantage" of the free time that we have while in self-isolation, but that is such an unfair thing to expect from someone. We're going through a global pandemic. There is so much uncertainty in the world right now. If you don't feel like being productive, then you don't need to feel bad about it. I love that this article gives you that permission.
TV: The Challenge: Total Madness
Obviously, Brett and I have been really enjoying the new season of our favorite show to watch together - The Challenge. This season has been so much fun to watch because all the players have to win an elimination in order to qualify for the final. No more skating by! We've been anxiously anticipating every new episode each Wednesday and we can't wait for the next one! What have you been enjoying while self-isolating?