Dear Influenster,

It's been awhile since we've had to chat. I remember when you sent me box after box of rubbish that, based on my user profile, you should have known I'd never have to use.

The boxes stopped coming and the surveys started telling me I probably "wasn't a good fit" for upcoming programs. You were likely right and I saw this as a step in the right direction. Yay progress!

Recently a survey came along for testing a sleep aid, and since I have a transatlantic red-eye coming up that I'd love to sleep through, I said sure.

The ZZZQuil VoxBox was waiting at my desk when I arrived this morning. I instantly noticed something different about this box compared to others:



It's rather tiny. Past boxes are loaded with full size products. Multiple full size products. Granted, I often left them for co-workers to take home since I'd never use them, but at least you tried to make our time worthwhile.

Now you've just gotten stingy. It's clear you don't care about the time we put into blog reviews and social media promotion when you think one measly dose of a medication is appropriate compensation. Nevermind that one dose doesn't provide enough experience to give objective coverage. Nevermind that this particular product, ZZZQuil, is just Benadryl that will be overpriced now that it's wrapped in a brand's fancy packaging that tells us what we already know—Benadryl makes people sleepy.

Speaking of how stingy you are, I have another VoxBox to complain about and I can't even share it here because it's not real. What is with this Virtual Vox nonsense? Worse than asking us to promote a product based on a sample, you now want us to promote products we haven't even tried? Kylie Jenner's  nail polish  retails at $2.99, and you're asking bloggers to create buzz about it with no product to try, nothing in return but the chance to win the full collection? Rude.

Every blogger has to start somewhere, but you've progressed from not listening to us to simply taking advantage of us. I hesitate to post this as I'm still technically providing coverage "in exchange" for your super generous drug sample and chance to win cheap nail polish, but someone needs to tell it like it is: you've gone from bad to worse.

Sure, people desperate for anything free will keep eating your nonsense up, but it won't result in the quality influencer coverage that comes from the mutually beneficial relationship between sponsor and blogger.

Shortly after I got my Fitbit, I lost all common sense and registered to run a 5K with my high school bestie. Technically, it isn't my first: I walked a 5K with coworkers back in October to raise funds for the nonprofit we work for.  Despite being a life-long hater of all things running, I downloaded C25K, determined to run at least a portion of the event, thus I consider this 5K my true first.



My October experience did set some expectations which were all blown to smithereens at this event. My top 5 takeaways:

1. Not all races are created equal. The 5K I walked was super organized: our bibs had chips which tracked our time, and after the race we were presented with medals, snacks, certificates, and months of e-mails trying to sell us official photos from the event. This 5K? Run and done. Oh, and some water. It couldn't have been more different.
2. Check out the course ahead of time. Going into an event called the Blacklight Run, I knew it would be dark outside. Still, I expected some, well, blacklights throughout the course. Nope. Apparently they were reserved for the after party which we didn't attend...because lighting on the course was minimal and many areas of the track were gravel. I wasn't prepared for this and slipped on an especially rugged patch about halfway through the run. It didn't seem like a big deal until I got up and realized there was (and still is) a lot of pain going on behind my knee. Going into the race with a more realistic understanding of the course may not have prevented this, but it definitely would have been helpful.
3. Push yourself...the right amount. Despite several C25K sessions for almost 2 months pre-race, I'm not ashamed to admit that I still hate running and it doesn't feel any easier for me now than it did before. Still, I had my own personal goal of alternating running and walking throughout the event. Having a buddy who pushed me was great because I ran more than I may have on my own, but at the same time, I knew when we  I needed to compromise on some running goals so I didn't overexert myself .
4. True Life Fitness is amazing. I trained for the run in leggings which slid all over the place; I constantly needed to stop or slow down to adjust things. True Life Fitness gave my friend and me an amazing deal on their adorable Blaire leggings for the race itself, and they stayed put the entire course! They are thick and I was worried they might be too warm for June, but they felt incredibly cool and smooth. They're definitely my new favorite workout capri. Even cooler, TLF is a small business owned by an everyday woman who simply wanted good quality exercise clothes. Right now, only two items are sold: the Blaire and a full-length "Katie" legging, both named after a friend of Jess, the owner!

1. Remember where you parked. Once we crossed the finish line, we skipped the after party in favor of a quick visit to the medical tent before going home to shower and eat pizza. Yep, we're healthy. Turns out we were so excited to begin, we forgot to take note of where we parked and ended up walking a second 5K (OK, maybe not quite that far) throughout the sea of cars trying to find ours. Whoops!

Would I do it again? I definitely think it's a good thing to challenge yourself, so yes. I'll definitely participate in future 5Ks and try to improve my time little by little.

What 5K have you enjoyed the most?

If you follow along on Instagram, you've probably noticed an increase in posts. My blog bestie, Aleshea, whom I met forever ago via a Cara Box exchange, made a trip out to Baltimore and a whirlwind tour of some east coast cities commenced.

I'm failing as a blogger these days because I'm choosing more and more to enjoy experiences instead of photograph them, so photos are few and mundane, but keep an eye on Aleshea's blog for a more visually appealing recap!

Saturday: Baltimore

Sean and I celebrated our sixth wedding anniversary a day early by enjoying a couple's massage while Aleshea was on the plane. Once she arrived, we grabbed lunch and headed to Fort McHenry, birthplace of America's national anthem, then Fells Point, home of lovely waterfront views and the last bar visited by Edgar Allen Poe before his death.

Touring a visiting tall ship in Fells Point.

Sunday: Annapolis

We began the day with church before heading to historic downtown Annapolis for a seafood lunch (ew, but when in Maryland, one must eat crab), more pretty waterfront views, and a visit to the US Naval Academy. Rain prevented more outdoor fun, so we headed back to Baltimore for some duckpin bowling.

Monday: Washington, DC

I clearly suck at being a tourist in my own town as I planned to go from Baltimore to DC in a train that actually only runs during rush hour. Whoops (no biggie, we drove to the metro easily enough)! We spent the day on foot around the usual National Mall spots: monuments/memorials (we even overheard adult tourists claim Lincoln is the first president!), the White House, and one of the Smithsonians, followed by happy hour with a transplant from Aleshea's hometown (it's a small world!).

WWII Memorial

Tuesday: New York

Plenty of walking! According to my fitbit, I got over 25,000 steps despite 6+ hours round trip on a bus. Aside from the usual tourist hot spots (Times Square, Central Park), we ate cheap pizza,  walked the entire high line (it's so pretty!), and ended the day with a performance of Les Mis on Broadway.

Imperial Theatre, home of Les Mis until 9/4

Wednesday: Farewell

After sleeping in (we got back from NYC around 3 am), we enjoyed breakfast at Baltimore's famous Blue Moon Cafe before saying farewell. Here's to next time!

Breakfast at Blue Moon Cafe Baltimore