Five for Friday

1. We were in a television doldrum, with the season finale of "Survivor" and having finished "House of Cards" and "Hemlock Grove." So it was with great excitement that I discovered the first season of "Bomb Girls." The show is set in a Canadian munitions factory during World War II and focuses on the bomb girls building the arms for Allied Forces. Not only does the show focus on a time period that I find intensely interesting but it's also well written and has a talented ensemble cast.

2. As a former fat girl and one whose thigh touch, I'm no stranger to chafing. Oh, the summer days when I would chafe just by being me and baby powder was my friend. Nowadays, it's usually when my shorts or a running skirt ride up on a particularly bad or long run. This morning, I had something new. Armpit chafing. I was about 4 miles in when I began to feel that familiar burn along my sports bra. I have no doubts that it's because of the steamy temps -67 degrees and 95% humidity. I guess it's time to start using 2Toms or Body Glide like a beast.

3. It seems that taking Miles for a 3-day weekend to Cincinnati and letting Mark have man time earned me a prize. Schwings! My Hood to Coast teammate Lindsay showed them to me ... well, her Instagram followers. I thought they were super cute, inquired as to where I could procure the accessory that I'm sure will nab me a PR and slyly included them in an email to Mark. He must have felt bad that I was chasing a sugar monster and ordered a lime pair while I was gone.

Anecdote: When the Schwings arrived yesterday, Mark asked me if they would make it on the blog. I said maybe.

4. The running gods finally shined down upon my race desert and blessed me with a Fourth of July 4-mile race that doesn't require an hour drive. I've been itching to race a shorter distance to gauge what paces I should hit for my Veterans Marathon training. Most of the races are on Saturdays during BODYPUMP but this one is on Thursday. The course begins at a park with hills and, factoring in the heat, I'm not sure it will be  a great effort but it would be great if I could beat the 32:31 I had at the Fort4Fitness 4-miler in September.

5. It's with great pleasure that I share with you that I was invited to become a nuun ambassador as part of my relationship with the company for Hood to Coast. While I can't say that it was love at first sight with that cute, little tablet, it has become a valuable part of my fueling and hydration routine not just for running but teaching group fitness as well. So, of course, I said yes!

In case I haven't shared it here, nuun is offering the readers of the Hood to Coast teammates a 15 percent discount through September - nuunHTC. And keep your eyes peeled for a little somethin' somethin' later in the month.