This is a sponsored post that contains affiliate links
I love races. I love the energy, the camaraderie with other racers, and just the feel good fun when lots of people come together for the same goal. I haven’t run a whole lot in the past year or two because of knee issues, but I’ve been working on strengthening them, and running on my toes to help that, so when I was approached to represent as the John Hancock Hosts the Cooking Light & Health Fit Foodie Race Weekend event and 5k in Austin, I was excited, and ready to get my racing shoes on!
Now, don’t get me wrong, I had no intentions to win, or even any pace time, just to participate is good enough for me. My good friend Alisha joined me, and we had a grand ole time, and pushed ourselves to just.keep.running. which we kept up the entire time, and clocked in at about 34 minutes for 3.2 miles.
The Fit Foodie is actually a 3 day weekend health event, not just a run. They partnered with Cooking Light and Health Magazine, and had healthy eating demonstrations, and calories were both burned and earned.
It all started Friday night, when I took my husband on a date to the event downtown, to rub shoulders with two guys he’s been familiar with for years: runners Ryan Hall and Bill Rodgers. Â They are pretty famous runners, and he has been following their professional careers, we even watched Ryan Hall in 2012 in Houston qualify for the Olympics (I remember going, but I didn’t quite remember his name like my husband did). It was fun to watch him chatting with him about health and wellness.
My husband has always inspired me when it comes to living a healthy lifestyle. I loved this event because promoting fitness and nutrition as a combination that leads to greater health was the main focus of the weekend, which was hosted by John Hancock. Â I learned while talking to new friends about the John Hancock life insurance with Vitality, which rewards people for the healthy choices they make, like exercising, seeing the doctor, and now, purchasing healthy foods at the grocery store.
I like rewards.
My husband has always been in the camp that he lives a healthy lifestyle to feel good, and I’ve led it by wanting to wear a certain size of pants. I’d like to say that I’m completely in his camp now, but I’m moving towards it. I DO feel better when I am healthier, and as a by-product, the pants are smaller.
Truly, the best reward is great health, but with the new John Hancock with Vitality HealthFood program, you can save up to $600 a year on the nutritious foods you buy, as well as on your life insurance premium with rewards, too.
What?
I brought my friend Alisha along for the 5k run on Saturday, and she was actually more informed about the life insurance thing than I was. They were “shopping around” and had some great questions, while I mostly listened. I should know more about this stuff than I did, but now I do.
It’s always fun to bring friends along to events I get to participate in, she enjoyed meeting Ryan Hall, we all had a great chat. Â Clearing, whatever I was saying was riveting.
(Jack Plunkett/AP Images for John Hancock)
Here are Ryan Hall and Bill Rodgers with the hilarious D.J.
After the chit chat, Alisha and I had to get ourselves pumped up for the run…
Then we had a pre-race warm up dance…
John Hancock Hosts The Cooking Light & Health Fit Foodie 5K Race Weekend in Austin, Texas on Saturday, June 25, 2016. (Jack Plunkett/AP Images for John Hancock)
Then, the crowd took off, and we began!
(Jack Plunkett/AP Images for John Hancock)
I was pretty impressed with us, ran/jogged the whole way, even though we discussed that we were not above a speed walk, having not run much ourselves in the previous weeks. I run about 2 miles, maybe once a week. Walking some…
I snapped this running selfie of us out on the trail.
We finished, got a cool medal, and tested it to make sure it was pure gold. It wasn’t.
I love a race with a finishers reward. I’m never going to get a trophy for top 3.
As the host of this event, John Hancock sponsored the John Hancock Vitality Village, the ultimate post-race experience that rewards a job well done and celebrates participants’ hard work through delicious and healthy experiences.  Alisha and I had a great ‘ole time walking around and perusing the various vendors, watching the cooking demo, and grabbing healthy snacks to nosh on now, and later.
Austin Chef Sonya Cote Cooking Demo
(Jack Plunkett/AP Images for John Hancock)
I’ve long determined that I exercise best with a friend. I’m grateful to have a good handful of friends with similar healthy living goals, we can help each other along. Together, we can enjoy a #RewardingLife
If you want to learn more, visit JHRewardsLife.com for more information on how you can be rewarded for the steps you take towards a healthier life.
I received compensation in exchange for writing this review. Although this post is sponsored, all opinions are my own.
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of John Hancock. The opinions and text are all mine.
