Keeping it Cozy & Cute

Posted on July 8, 2014 by Jen

I’d like to start by saying thank you for the kind words on the blog, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and text regarding my last post. I learned a lot from your comments and stories and I know others did too. Thank you!

I’m running again and feeling good! My first few runs were as expected – delighted to be back at it, but felt a little rusty. Saturday was my first run where I felt good – light, fast and free! It made me excited to start workouts again – just not yet. I’ll probably try something fast again later this week.

In other news, it’s summer (like you didn’t know)! I usually spend my summers in cheap flip flops, but not this year! My main problem and injury-prone-ish area is my feet. I haven’t had any “real” injury for years *KNOCK SO HARD ON WOOD* but I get weird tightness problems that start in my feet or calves that eventually mess up my hips/back/hamstring area. I decided to put an end to that this summer. Cue “the summer of keeping it cozy and cute”.

If you follow me on Twitter or Instagram, you know I can usually be found running around doing fun stuff with my 4 year old all day, and now I have a mobile and energetic 9 month old too. I find myself constantly on my feet and on the go. I think of it as good cross training (HA), but I feel the effects on my feet and legs by the end of the day. I started a quest for the perfect summer footwear routine, where I could mix practical style and comfort and I think I have it figured out!! I’m sharing my choices below!

Birkenstocks – Lucky for me, they are apparently back in style. You can wear them with anything, from shorts to jeans to dresses! They mold to your feet after some wear, are comfortable and supportive! Cozy – check! Cute – check!

Look at those beauties (the shoes, not the feet!!)

Sanuk Yoga Sling 2 – These sandals are fairly light and super comfortable. The footbed is made from a yoga mat (for real!) and the sling is made of stretch knit. For me, new shoes usually take a few days of wearing before they feel comfortable, especially shoes that have a piece between the toes, but these felt great right away! The people involved with the company seem really fun and laid back. I think we’d be friends IRL. Cozy – check! Cute- check!

Imagine I’m sitting cross-legged on the beach instead of my kitchen floor. Or at least pretend my kitchen floor is clean :)

Sketchers GOwalk 2 – I decided to try some Sketchers shoes (for daily wear, not running) after Meb won Boston. I decided even if I hated the shoes, I love Sketchers for believing in Meb. I found these shoes and thought they were pretty cute as far as slip on athletic shoes are concerned. When they arrived, I decided they were even cuter in person and they were so comfortable I didn’t want to take them off. I have a hard time wearing any other shoe – they are that awesome. They do run a half to a full size big so order down, especially if you aren’t going to wear socks. Cozy – check! Cute – check!

Ok, I know this is a strange picture, but I wanted to use this to show the fog on the airplane on my way to Grandma’s Marathon. The flight attendant said “it’s just condensation!” then walked away angrily.

Asics Gel Cumulus – My good old standby running shoe! My body feels happiest when I’m running in them, so I stick with this shoe. Cozy – check! Cute – well, I LOVE the current colors (blue/orange combo) so check!

Cool running shoes plus my little darlings on the 4th of July!

currexSole RUNPRO – I’m not one to add anything new to my running routine unless I feel it will benefit me. I mostly live by “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” mentality. But, when I hear about something that could potentially help a problem I’ve been facing (sore feet), I’m glad to try something new! Insert the currexSole insoles. I had to opportunity to start wearing these early this spring and they have been really good to my feet. I started out wearing them when walking and transitioned them into my running shoes when I could trust they wouldn’t mess up my running!

I was pleasantly surprised immediately with how comfortable they felt. They weren’t stiff, heavy or bulky like every other insole I’ve tried! They have a zero mm drop so they won’t interfere with shoe construction and they are designed to move with your feet instead of restricting movement. They were easy to insert into my running shoes – just slip out the insoles that come in the shoes and slip in the currexSole (the instructions on the box show you might have to trim the tip to fit properly, but mine fit great without altering them at all).

The insoles are made based on foot type, body weight and leg/knee angles to ensure that you get a proper fit for your body. My fitting showed I should wear the RUNPRO HIGH – hello high arches – but the best way to know what will work for you is to go through the fitting system yourself. I wouldn’t say my feet are 100% ache & pain free, but they have definitely improved since using the currexSole! Cozy – check! Cute – well, no one sees them, but they have moisture/odor management built in and don’t smell so we’ll give them some cute points!

currexSole RUNPRO HIGH

So tell me – do you keep your feet cozy in the summer? Do you go strictly on style and forget about comfort? (I used to wear fashionable high heels constantly except when running, but those days are long gone!) Do you hang out in cheap flip-flops all day? Any cozy & cute shoes you’ve found this summer that you can share with me?

*I was given the currexSole to review on my blog but all opinions are my own.

Product Review: Fuelstrip

Posted on April 10, 2014 by Jen

You’ve heard me say it before on this blog and Twitter, but I’ve been feeling really depleted on long and/or hard efforts. A big part of it is running 50+ miles per week while nursing my 6 month old cutie. But, I’ve always had problems with energy levels plummeting on long runs and during marathons.

Here’s a crazy little tidbit about my marathon journey. My first 4 marathons (during both training and racing) I took in NO FUEL ever. I would occasionally stop by a water fountain on a 20 miler and would take a few sips of water out on the marathon course, but in general, I didn’t think I needed fuel. I thought it would just slow me down. I know, it sounds silly and is very embarrassing to admit this!

When I finally realized fueling both in training (occasionally) and during races could substantially impact the quality of my running, I jumped on the fuel bandwagon. Still, I’ve only done 4 more marathons since I started fueling and am still trying to figure the whole process out. What works for me? How can I take in enough, but not too much, since I also have a really sensitive stomach?

When I heard about Fuelstrip, I knew I wanted to try it out. I read “Fuelstrip is able to detect the metabolites in your sweat to allow you to refuel to your body’s exact needs.” and “As your glycogen reserve tanks are depleted from full to empty, the Fuelstrips react to form a series of colors that approximate a full tank (orange), 3/4 tank (yellow), 1/2 tank (green), 1/4 tank (blue). The periodic testing of your sweat will allow you to refuel to your body’s exact needs at the moment.” Testing involves swiping the end of the fuelstrip across your sweat and checking the results (color of the Fuelstrip) 20-30 seconds later.

My first impression was, “Sounds cool, but does it work?” and then “Will I really want to carry these strips around with me and test during a hard, long workout?“.

To put the first question to the test, I did a few easy runs, 30-40 minutes, and tested my sweat. These were runs where I felt great from start to finish and was hoping to see an “orange, full tank” reading on the test strip. These were my baseline runs and the strips tested exactly as I anticipated.

First fuelstrip use! On the treadmill!

Next, I decided to run a normal longer workout, 80 minutes with warmup and cooldown, and use a Fuelstrip at the end to see how my glycogen levels tested. I did not fuel during the run, just tested with a Fuelstrip at the end. I was feeling really depleted when finished and wasn’t surprised to see the Fuelstrip test green, indicating I was depleted “1/2 tank”.

2nd use of the fuelstrip, got a green or 1/2 tank reading. Look, it matches my shirt!

My next test was going to help answer my second question as well. Will I really want to carry these Fuelstrips around with me on a long, hard workout? My run for the day was a slightly longer workout, just over 90 minutes with warmup and cooldown and I decided to take a vial of the Fuelstrips and the Fuelchews with me. I planned to test and use a Fuelstrip every 30 minutes, then use the Fuelchews as directed. I was a little nervous about carrying the vial of Fuelstrips and the Fuelchews since I don’t like taking anything with me on a run.

The vial is super light and surprisingly very easy to open, even when running fast.

Very easy to open when running. Just a gentle push on the tab with my thumb, tilt the vial and a fuelstrip is ready to go!

I tested every 30 minutes and took the chews as directed. I have to say, I felt better on this run than I had on any postpartum run to date. The chews were larger than I expected but I was used to the size of them after the 3rd chew. I have no complaints about the taste. They were fruity and sweet but not so sweet that I wanted to gag. I have to admit that I finished the remaining chew after the workout was over “just because” and crave them even when not working out… oh boy… They are dairy free, gluten free and kosher (and like I said, pretty darn tasty!) They were easy on my stomach and gave me sustained energy. I never felt like I had too much or too little. It really seemed like the perfect amount of fuel for my run. All of this being said, this was also the only run postpartum run in which I’ve taken in fuel so I’d expect to feel better than usual.

Post workout. The Fuelchew shown is the one I ate “just because”.

Overall, I found the Fuelstrips very easy to use and access while running. The Fuelchews kept my energy levels steady during my long, hard effort. They taste great and are dairy and gluten free. I still don’t love carrying anything with me on a run and the Fuelchews felt bulky in my pocket. If you are used to carrying chews of another brand, these are a very similar size to others I’ve seen (package is more square than rectangular). I would use Fuelstrip and Fuelchews a few times each training cycle, but not for every long or hard effort.

*I received a Fuelstrip Starter Pack through Base Endurance. All opinions on this blog are always my own!

Perfectly Imperfect

Posted on April 3, 2014 by Jen

Wells is 6 months old!

6 months old!

Check out the new onesie he’s sporting from the Believe I Am Fit Mommas collection (it’s actually on sale right now!):

Hand-stitched, made in the USA, & so cute on my little guy!

Like many parents, I think both of my babies are perfect little miracles. I wish I had this onesie when Currie was a baby too! It’s funny how many things change when you have kids. You learn to embrace how perfectly imperfect life can be! We’ve definitely traded in “perfect family photos” for new kinds of wonderful, perfectly imperfect, fun pictures that will keep us chuckling for a lifetime!

Mother! What are you doing to me?!

Wells is unsure about this photo. Much more fun to wear these tacky sweatshirts from my childhood than fancy attire at our holiday party!

Smush faces for Valentine’s Day!

This way of thinking has helped me in my running as well. The pressure to run the perfect race, the fastest time, and beat certain people weighed heavily on my mind and made racing stressful and therefore not very enjoyable for many years. Having my first child 4 years ago helped me realize that racing should be fun and if it’s not enjoyable there are so many other things I can do instead! I still get worked up over races (and even workouts!) but I use the nervous energy as fuel now instead of paralyzing fear. Thank you to my little angels for teaching me this important lesson!

Here’s an example of a run I did last week that was perfectly imperfect:

Fartlek run on schedule. Realized I was late bringing Currie to school which meant I had to push her 1/2 mile in single jog stroller fairly quickly uphill. Pushed stroller back home, empty. (If you’ve pushed a BOB stroller when it’s empty you feel my pain here!) Another 10 minutes of warmup by myself then did fartlek workout finishing last fast rep at my door. Rushed in house, bundled baby as Jeff rushed out door, buckled baby in single jogging stroller and took him on 15 min cooldown. Realized I was late for baby’s doctor appointment so mixed up a recovery drink, grabbed a Picky Bar, threw those things and a few diapers in the stroller and quickly ran 1/2 mile to appointment. Devoured recovery food/drink in waiting room. Perfectly imperfect at its finest!

With that being said, my running felt more normal this week! Since I had Wells, most of my runs have felt really hard. Even easy runs have been harder than I’d hoped. I have little glimmers of hope here and there where I’d do some strides and feel super strong, but most days have me on the struggle bus. Oftentimes when running fast my legs feel like they are flailing around… like I have no control or strength behind them. They feel they are just doing their own thing.

One evening this week, I went to the track with a goal of 6 x mile in a pace that seemed too fast to comprehend (5:40). I ran the kids 2 miles to the track in the double jogging stroller to meet Jeff who was going to take them to the playground.

Double strollers are intense… especially in hilly neighborhoods!

I did a lap of strides then got started. The first mile was 5:39 and I felt strong. I was shocked when I looked at my watch. I expected the first few to be 10-20 seconds slower. The next 2 miles flew by comfortably and on pace as well. No weakness, no flailing legs, just strength and speed. Reps 4 and 5 felt more challenging, but never out-of-control and right on pace. Right before the 6th mile, Jeff and the kids just happened to make it back to the track cheer and take my picture! The last one was the hardest, but I hit my time again and knew I had another rep in me if needed (no more needed, workout was done. My dad always told me I should finish every workout knowing I could do one more rep at the same pace. I have always believed in that little nugget of wisdom).

Jeff snapped this shot on my last mile repeat.

After that workout, I tweeted:

I think this is a good thing to share with new moms, people just starting to exercise, people coming back from injury, or anyone who is struggling with their workouts. If you hate running (or hate ANYTHING for that matter) you should stop doing it. But if there is any part of you that still loves it and wants to hold on, I encourage you to stick with it. Every time I’ve been at a breaking point in life (and especially with running) and saw it through just a little bit longer, the rewards have been totally worth it.

Hope you have a great weekend! Thanks for reading!

My Diet Transformation and Newest Find – Silk PureAlmond

Posted on February 5, 2013 by Jen

I’ve been running since I was in 7th grade. I’ve been into healthy eating and general fitness just as long. My mom got me a subscription for Fitness magazine, followed by Shape magazine and my dad fittingly subscribed to Runner’s World magazine. We had books on healthy diets and exercise. I learned the old food pyramid in school. I also watched a lot of morning exercise shows and informercials. I knew I was on a healthy living quest for the rest of my life. Still, I grew up mostly on rural Ohio staples: meat, white potatoes, white pasta (for my running family).

Me as a little 7th grader starting a mile race on our stone track! Check out those paw-print socks and school-color-matching shoes!

In college, I started thinking more about diet. Not the way many people thought about diet like “going on a diet” or “losing weight” or “taking away” foods. I started thinking about what I put into my body on a daily basis. I decided to start buying organic produce, adding more fruits and veggies in general, and dropping cow’s milk (after becoming lactose intolerant). At the time, I started drinking Silk Soy Milk.

Here I am in college, when I was still eating burgers quite often. This particular burger was from In-N-Out Burger.

After college, I moved to Seattle. I started dropping meat from my diet. I also started physically feeling better than ever. I lost about 10 pounds. When I started dropping meat, I added all sorts of new foods like tofu, tempeh, seitan, quinoa, barley, avocados, sweet potatoes, spinach – things I eat almost daily now and can’t imagine my life without!

Every year, I pick up a few new foods to try. My favorite new finds in 2012 were delicata squash and almond milk. I heard of delicata squash through my CSA (community supported agriculture) share and I can’t believe I lived without it all these years! I heard of almond milk a few years ago, but was always too scared to try it. Milk… made from almonds? For some reason, I didn’t have the same reservations about soy milk, maybe because I heard about it first and knew people who drank it. I didn’t know anyone at the time who drank almond milk. It just seemed strange.

One day in early 2012, for some reason, I decided to try Silk PureAlmond Original. I think it was because I saw a coupon in the Sunday newspaper. It sat in the refrigerator for a few days. I wasn’t sure what to do with it. I ended up using it in a post-run smoothie, combining with frozen banana, almond butter and cinnamon and I was hooked! The stuff was delicious! I started buying it weekly.

Just a few months ago, I realized there was an unsweetened version of the Silk PureAlmond so I decided to try it. It has just half the calories of the original (just 30 calories per serving). The transition was seamless. I didn’t notice any difference in my recipes. Score!

If you are somewhat new to almond milk like me, Silk has a “Rethink What You Drink” campaign going on right now on their Facebook page. You will find 30 awesome recipes (including some overnight breakfast ideas that are really easy and tasty!) by 30 bloggers, using the 30 calorie Silk PureAlmond! My favorite recipes are the breakfast ideas and the smoothies. You know I drink a smoothie every day!

Speaking of amazing smoothies and recipes, I HIT THE JACKPOT with smoothie creation yesterday. I can easily say this is the best smoothie I’ve ever made. And it was easy! Here’s a rough recipe. I recommend you try this at home:

Blow My Mind Strawberry Banana Smoothie

1 cup Silk PureAlmond
1/2 cup fresh cut pineapple
1/2 cup fresh red grapes
2 ripe bananas
1/2 of a 12 oz bag of frozen strawberries

Put all ingredients in a blender for 30 seconds. Pour into 2 cups. Enjoy with a companion. Try to drink slowly to avoid brain freeze. (I was not so lucky!)

Have you been through an eating transformation or have you kept the same diet most of your life? Do you drink almond milk? Have you tried Silk PureAlmond?

FitFluential LLC compensated me for this Campaign. All opinions are my own.

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Category Archives: Product Reviews

Keeping it Cozy & Cute

Product Review: Fuelstrip

Perfectly Imperfect

My Diet Transformation and Newest Find – Silk PureAlmond