Showing posts with label Simple Hydration. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Simple Hydration. Show all posts

Thursday, April 16, 2015

Running and Swimming Laps

Since arriving in Dubai, I've been worrying about wearing acceptable running gear, the heat, and where to run in this busy city. After taking an extra day off to let my sore legs recover, I was itching to run again on Wednesday morning.

A couple expats living in the area have assured me that it is acceptable to wear modest running gear while you run. It is not acceptable to wear your running gear into public places, like the mall or grocery. Although I love a good racerback when it's hot and humid, I opted to wear a regular tank top with my trusty Oiselle Distance shorts.


To beat the heat, I got up early and thinking about my GMMRTT early-bird runner friends, I was out the hotel at 6AM. It took my Nike GPS watch about 5 minutes to find a signal, which seriously stressed me out because I was standing on the sidewalk in my running gear. NOT running.


The other day, mrC glanced out of our hotel window (we're on the 9th floor) and noticed a small park with a running track. The 400 meter rubbery track circles around the outside of Port Saeed Plaza and is lined with flowering trees and bushes like jasmine and honeysuckle.


I left the hotel with a goal of running for 30 minutes, but knowing that my body is still acclimating to the temperature change. For example, it was already 74 degrees at 6AM! I didn't count laps while I was running, but instead watched my time and took water breaks every 10 minutes. I ended up with 11 laps around the track before making my way back to the hotel.


After a quick shower and some breakfast I headed to the pool to do some laps there. I don't know the length of the pool, but I did 5 laps (back & forth = 1) twice. Swimming is fun, but it's not easy. It's definitely more cardio than I remember as a kid!


I haven't done a lot of swimming while living in New Hampshire, so I'm thoroughly enjoying this time in the pool. Hopefully, we will have access to one in China too.


Does your GPS take a long time to connect?
Do you like running around a track?




Wednesday, June 19, 2013

Kickoff to Summer 5K 2013

For the third year in a row (4th time overall) I ran a local PTA sponsored 5K with my husband and youngest step daughter. The Kickoff to Summer 5K is near and dear to my heart because it is the first race I ran in New Hampshire after moving here in 2008. At the time my husband was working overseas, so running helped ease the pain of missing him.

This year, my step daughter is training for her first 10K, so we combined the race with her long training run. We planted a car in the parking lot and then ran 3 miles from home to the race.

Our first starting line - in the driveway

We arrived at the race with about 20 minutes to cool off, hydrate, and pick up our bib and race shirts. The course starts at the local elementary school and winds out & back through the fairgrounds. I've had some good finish times and not-so-good finish times with this race. This year I had no plans. No goals. I just wanted to run what felt good and not do anything crazy - like aggravate a healing ab muscle.

Waiting at the second starting line

The race is completely organized and run by volunteers, so you will not hear me complain that the race started a little late especially since it gave us some time to take pictures. Once it was under way, it was pure fun. The gorgeous weather, the cheering spectators, and the happy runners/walkers make this race one of those that you come back to every year.

My step daughter jumped out ahead of mr. C and I at the start. I ran with him for about a mile until we caught up to her. I was feeling really good, so I just went with it. Part of the course is an out & back on a dirt/gravel road (not my favorite terrain) and I got hung up here behind runners, but most of the time I was able to just let my legs go.

Long run & 5K finishers!

My times for this race have been: 32:13, 28:06, and 27:35. This year I was not chasing a PR, but I did finish strong with a time of 28:56.

How do you "kickoff" your summer?

***************************************

Speaking of summer, how would you like to kick yours off by winning a HUGE runner prize package valued at $400? My friends at Simple Hydration are having a photo contest and all you have to do is submit a photo to enter. 


Here are the details:

Take a picture with #RUNSIMPLE. Enter your creative photo here for a chance to win a Runner’s Prize Package ($400 Value!). Prizes include choice of HOKA ONE ONE shoes, a 4-pack of Simple Hydration Water Bottles, 1BandID ID tag, HVLO Headphones, Yankz! SureLace System, Mizuno visor and socks and Chica Bands headbands.




Friday, May 17, 2013

Friday Favorites: Things You Find at a Race

Every once in a while I stumble upon something new or I'm reminded why I already love a product.

A couple of weeks ago, I went to Cincinnati to run the Flying Pig Half Marathon. One of the big race sponsors was Proctor & Gamble. At the expo, P&G handed out A LOT of sample products. One that was new to me was Regenerist Micro-Sculpting Cream. I've been using it at night on my 40+ year old face, and I've noticed that my skin feels very soft and dewy again.


One of my favorite snacks (or desserts depending on the time of day) is Stonyfield Organic Greek Yogurt. I actually tried this yogurt for the first time when it was handed out to finishers after the Half at the Hamptons a couple of years ago. I love chocolate on the bottom!


A favorite staple that has been coming in very handy as the weather heats up is my Simple Hydration Water Bottle. It always takes me awhile as a runner to acclimate to the heat and my bottle makes it so easy to carry water or performance drinks on my runs. I had the pleasure of hanging out at the Simple Hydration booth at the Flying Pig Expo and talking to people about the bottle. It's really fun now to read the positive comments on the Facebook page from runners who bought and used the bottle at the race.


Have you ever tried a sample from a race day expo, goodie bag, or finisher's treat and fallen in love with it?   


There's still time to enter to win a pair of sunglasses! Details here! Giveaway ends tomorrow!


Wednesday, May 8, 2013

Flying Pig Half Marathon

I'm a Flying Pig!


I finally ran the Flying Pig Half Marathon and I dragged my husband along with me! We arrived in Cincinnati on Friday evening and met up with family and friends for dinner. The weather was gorgeous  and the Flying Pig weekend festivities had already begun. 


After breakfast at a great downtown restaurant called First Watch, we spent Saturday morning at the Expo. They had an interesting zig-zag layout that steered you through all of the booths to get to the race shirt pick-up. At first we didn't mind this layout, but when we wanted to make our way back to something, it was difficult to move against the sea of people and took way too much time. After running with his water bottle for the last two years, I finally met Simple Hydration designer Brian and hung out at his booth for a bit.


The race had an early start of 6:30, but fortunately we were only a couple of blocks from the start line at the Millennium Hotel. We didn't have our normal pre-race breakfast, so we substituted bagels from the hotel cafe. I could only eat half because I was so excited to get going. The weather was predicted to be 50+ so I was comfortable selecting a Nike racerback and running skirt. I also chose my Flying Pig Sassy Bands and Mizuno Wave Creation 14s. After mixing up some Nuun (I forgot to pack the Cytomax) and packing some post-race clothes in my gear bag, we were on our way.

We walked the few blocks to the starting line and located the not-so-easy to find gear bag busses. By then the sun was beginning to rise over the city. We took a few minutes to stretch before entering our corral.


For nine weeks I had been preparing my husband to run his 3rd half marathon. We planned to take it easy in the beginning, manage the two+ mile uphill into Eden Park, and then cruise to the finish.


Running with my husband was easy. The first six miles over the river into Newport, across Covington, and back through Cincy's west side was manageable for us. The hard part for me was dealing with three port-a-potty stops. I guess he forgot to reduce his fluid intake!


We knew the tough part of the course would begin at about mile 7 as we started the 280 foot climb into Eden Park. When I saw the Elsinore Castle, I knew it was time to dig deep.


The good part about the climb was that it leveled off a little in places, like Mirror Lake. This was one of the picturesque views along the course.


The pain of the next part of the climb was lessened just a little by the appearance of Elvis near the Krohn Conservatory. We saw crazy, fun stuff like this all along the course.


After making our way out of the park and through some rolling hills, we started the cruise to the finish line. The downhill view of the city and descent helped increase our pace.


The last .20 of the course was a straight away lined with cheering spectators all the way to the finish. After crossing the finish line in 2:17:03 (PR for hubs!), we made our way through the finisher's corral where we received our medal and more food than I have ever seen at a race. It was awesome! Just minutes after exiting the corral, a light rain began. I was grateful that I packed some extra clothes in my gear check bag. Thanks to the Flying Pig tracker app, my mom was right there waiting for us. We walked around for a bit, got a quick massage, and then decided to head to the hotel to get dry.


I loved this race. It was challenging, but tons of fun. There were more bands/music on the course than the Rock-n-Roll events I have done. The cheer zones and fluid stations were filled with rowdy, happy people. The entire weekend was packed full of events going on downtown including the Expo, 5K, 10K, full marathon, relays, kids races, a family festival, and fireworks. Participants received awesome swag before and after the race: tech tee, poster, cooler, and finisher's certificate.


We had been warned about THE hill leading into Eden Park and more importantly the downhill that followed. Day three post-race my quads are finally starting to recover.


This race is only 15 years old, but attracts over 33, 000 runners to it's weekend events that sell-out. There were more than 100 people who participated in the full marathon for the 15th year in a row - The Streakers! I hope to run this half marathon again too!




Wednesday, March 6, 2013

Black Cat 10 Miler 2013

Saturday I was back in Salem, Massachusetts for a Black Cat 10 Miler repeat. This race was started in 2010 with the intention of being a Boston Marathon 20 mile training race, but then evolved to offer a 10 miler and relay option too.  Last year I ran it a couple of weeks after completing an awesome sub 2-hour half marathon. This year, I used it as one of my final long training runs for my next half marathon.


Getting to the race meant an early wake up and departure because it was about 70 minutes away and it started at 8AM. At the race site we quickly picked up our race bibs and shirts, hit the restrooms, and then stayed warm inside while listening to the DJ'd music.


We spent a little more time at the start line than I would have liked since it was only 30 degrees and the sun wasn't strong enough to provide much warmth. I was wearing a new pair of Nike thermal running pants, but I still got the shivers. I knew once we got going I would be fine though.


As usual I went out faster than I would have liked. Since the first mile or so was mostly flat, I didn't worry too much about my pace. I knew we would hit the most challenging hill on the course heading into Marblehead around mile 2.5, so I slowed down even though I wanted to keep up with Daisy. When I hit the turn around, I saw her heading to the port-a-potties, so I stopped to blow my nose. She was having issues with her running top, so I went on ahead of her.

Turn around at Devereux Beach

My first half splits:

Mile 1    833
Mile 2    839
Mile 3    901
Mile 4    837
Mile 5    851

After the turn around, my early morning departure started to catch up to me. I did not have my normal pre-run breakfast and my gas tank was running on low. My Simple Hydration Water Bottle with Cytomax helped boost my energy, but also left my stomach feeling queasy for most of my final miles. In the last mile there were a couple of short climbs that tested me mentally, but I was so ready to be done that I forced myself to push on. 

Official time 1:32:21

Second half splits:

Mile 6    913
Mile 7    909
Mile 8    908
Mile 9    935
Mile 10  858 

This was my third ten-miler and my slowest time, but I chalk that up to my fuel fail. I'm happy with my race pace (officially 914) and my ability to pull it together when I started feeling crappy. I guess you could say that I'm finally learning to listen to my body.

I like this race. It has a horrible start time for runners coming from out of town, but it's a great distance, semi-challenging, has great runner support before, during and after, and gives out a finisher's medal along with an awesome long sleeve shirt. 


Want to know more about my awesome silver sparkly headband? Check out my Sassy Bands review and giveaway coming soon!


Monday, March 4, 2013

TrainingTruths: Running with the Stars

When people read that a trio of Olympians will be running the NYC Half Marathon in a couple of weeks, they might get nervous. Even me, although I've already met and run with an Olympic Marathoner



This is one of the reasons I find the running community so amazing. Olympic runners, elite runners will line up along side average runners like me to run a race. For a short time, we will all be winners.  


#TrainingTruths: Every runner is a star!


Tuesday: Not even a vacation could interfere with my training to give chase in New York. Although it was a rainy morning in Florida, I still enjoyed a relatively warm run through the green. Not many people ventured out, so I felt like I owned the road.


Wednesday: Since I would be traveling on Thursday and I try to avoid running two days in a row to keep injuries away, I decided to go for a walk. The weather was absolutely gorgeous and I loved the easy, relaxed feeling of being on vacation.


Saturday: Used the Black Cat 10 Miler in Salem, MA (through Marblehead - home to Olympian Shalane Flannigan) as our long run. I love when races fit so perfectly into the training plan! This was a pre-fuel fail for me. The 8AM start meant we were out the door at 530 without my traditional pre-run breakfast. Thanks to my Simple Hydration Water Bottle and some Cytomax I was able to manage the energy in my tank for a pretty good finish.






Have you ever met a celebrity runner?
Tell me about your most recent bright moment!



Monday, January 7, 2013

TrainingTruths: Fun Challenges

Last week my training coincided with the kick off of a couple of fun monthly challenges. Challenges are fun because you can find motivation, sometimes win prizes, but most importantly improve your overall fitness.

#TrainingTruth - If it doesn't challenge you, it doesn't change you

This month I am hosting the Chilly Challenge with Janine from The Purple Giraffe and I want my team to win the prizes. I logged my first miles for Team Escapades with a 10K race on Tuesday. 


Shrinking Jeans has me motivated again with Fab Abs January. This 30 day challenge is meant to supplement your current fitness routine (like running) and build your strength by progressing each day. I did a couple last year with positive benefits to my running and overall fitness, so when I saw this one I had to do it. 


With temperatures at a feels like 8 degrees, I took my Thursday run indoors where I could wear my favorite Oiselle shorts. After logging another 10K on the treadmill, I cooled off in front of the fan - which just feels weird when it's so cold outside.


Temperatures warmed up to 29 degrees on Saturday, so it was time to head back outside. I layered up in my favorite Nike thermal top with built in mittens and mixed up some Cytomax to put in my Simple bottle. For the first three miles around the frozen lake I felt like I was overdressed, but the higher elevation and winds kept me cooler on the second half.


Last month I mentioned that I was learning how to use my Polar HRM. Mid-morning Sunday, I drank half a serving of FRS and then fired up the treadmill for a 30 minute walking workout determined to get in one day of cross training for the week. I listened to Grrl Power Vol. 2 from RockMyRun and watched the end of Legally Blond while treading out 1.77 miles.  



How was your first week of 2013?


Want to know more about how to join Team Escapades in the Chilly Challenge? Check out all the details here or skip right to the sign-up part and be sure to choose #TeamEscapades! Already a member? Don't forget to follow #ChillyChallenge on Twitter and join the Facebook group.



Friday, January 4, 2013

First Run 10K 2013

Once again, my running partner Daisy and I made plans to kick off another year of running by signing up for the First Run 10K in Lowell, MA. We ran this race last year and I started the year with a shiny new medal and 10K PR.  



It was also a great way to ensure that we racked up some Chilly Challenge miles for Team Escapades. We weren't the only ones to have that in mind. While waiting for the start of the race, we ran into several people planning to log miles for our team including Bill (who I might have guilted into joining) and Dani and some members from that other team. Just kidding, it is always fun to see what Janine will be wearing!



At the last minute, my husband decided to join us and run the 5K. He's planning to re-start his own running adventure and begin training for his next half marathon. I really love having a fit-husband.



More than 1600 people participated in the 5K/10K combination race this year. The unchanged course was a neighborhood loop that started and finished at the local Elks Lodge where pre and post race amenities were held. During the first loop it was very crowded, but since they offered pace corrals the glob of runners surrounding us moved at a pace I was comfortable with. From the 5K split to the finish it was much easier running, if you could ignore the occasional bitter cold head winds. 



One of the fun parts of this race is the crowd support including my husband right at the finish ready to get the best shot! And there's my Simple Hydration water bottle in action, too. That little gem let's me cruise right through the water stops and without the aggravation of carrying it in my hand.




Katherine also surprised us by signing up for the race last minute and despite arriving last minute (barely getting her bib on when the race started), she took her speedy self right past me to the finish. I think it is because she joined the Mizuno club...check out our #brilliantrun gear.  


Spending the first half of New Year's Day running with my husband and friends is nothing less than awesome. Even though this race seems to have outgrown it's facility, the course, the volunteers, and the community make it a fun one to do. So despite only finding some granola cereal and Emergen-C packs, I was very happy to discover that I tied my 10K PR at 56:23!





How did you start your new year?

How do you feel about poor post race experiences?



Want to know more about how to join Team Escapades in the Chilly Challenge? Check out all the details here or skip right to the sign-up part and be sure to choose #TeamEscapades! Already a member? Don't forget to follow #ChillyChallenge on Twitter and join the Facebook group.



Thursday, December 20, 2012

Three Things

Today I have three things on my mind:

Yesterday, my friends at Simple Hydration released an awesome promotional video. This bottle is a little known secret that runners (like me) absolutely love. The fun part was that Simple Hydration asked customers (like me) to participate in the video. See if you can spot me:




Today, I find out if I made it into the New York City Half Marathon. Daisy and I put our names in the lottery back in November with the hopes that we will be taking a little road trip in March. 




Last night I read about a 5K that is being organized to help the families of the Sandy Hook tragedy. The event will take place in the spring, so until then I hope you will join the group and help me spread the word. 



What's on your mind today?




*