TrainingTruths: Got My Groove Back

First I want to announce that Happy Fit Mama is the winner of the Bestowed giveaway! Congrats! Please email me so I can put you in touch with your prize.

Even though I was in school an extra week (darn snow days!) and the heat arrived in New Hampshire with a vengeance, last week I was able to get my running groove back. I think I was able to finally sweat out all remnants of the nasty cold I picked up the week before and that gave me my energy back.

After a day spent proctoring exams on Tuesday, I convinced mr. C to join me for a 4 mile loop. This took some work because it was feels-like 90 degrees. Once the clouds moved in, we hit the door and managed to avoid the storm that arrived later. I wore a new racerback that I picked up from Corey Vines with my Earndit reward and loved it. It was super soft and lightweight, perfect for the hot weather. This run went much better than I thought it would in the high temperatures.

We ran again on Wednesday morning before work thinking the temperature would be better. It was cooler at 70, but the humidity was 65% making the sweat factor nearly the same as the night before. My Oiselle mesh tank helped keep me comfortable in the muggy air, but it didn't make breathing any easier. 

To celebrate the end of the school year (finally) on Friday, we snuck in a short run between downpours. It started off with a comfortable cool breeze, but then the humidity rolled back in making the last mile really tough. Taking a first run in my new Mizuno Wave Sayonaras that I received to preview as a member of the Mezamashii Run Project raised the fun factor a bit though.

It was time for another #SurfSet class on Saturday. This urban surfing workout was an intense mix of strength and cardio with a lot of squats and ab work. Afterwards we grabbed some to-go smoothies and breakfast sandwiches from our favorite downtown eatery. We rounded out the day with a 3 mile dog walk, first swim at Scobie Beach, and some yoga for runners.

We got a later start than I would have liked for our long run on Sunday and paid for it. It was a really tough run complete with dripping sweat, attacking flies, and stomach cramping in the warm and humid air. We walked more than I would have liked, but enjoyed a cool dip in the water at Scobie Beach afterwards to cool off.

The start to summer vacation has helped me get back on track. I upped my mileage for the week to 17 and added a bunch of cross training. It's looking like the summer will be full of fitness adventures and I love that! This week kicks off the start of the Sweaty Challenge, a spin off of the Chilly Challenge from January, where we log our miles and offer each other encouragement and support. Join in the fun here. 

Hope you had a good week too!

Fitness Friday: BAA 10K 2013 Weekend

Last weekend we made our way to Boston for the BAA 10K, the second race in the BAA Medley Series. This time I had a running partner: my step daughter.

Our mini race-cation started on Saturday with our first destination on Boylston Street. The last time we were there was for the BAA 5K on marathon weekend. It seemed fitting to pay our respects on the same weekend of the BAA's first race since the tragic events of April 15.

We spent the rest of the afternoon milling around Faneuil Hall, Waterfront Park, and Boston Common before heading to dinner. We chose Maggiano's Little Italy because they offered 15% off to race participants and we scooped up some cookies from the Chip Yard for dessert.

After dinner we strolled back to the hotel. With some time to spare before the start of the hockey game, we took advantage of the spacious room to do some family-time yoga and get our game plan for race day ready.

In the morning we walked the short two blocks to the starting area to meet up with some runner friends prior to the start. The BAA encouraged runners to wear blue and yellow as a tribute to April 15 so I chose my blue Nike running skirt and yellow tank, but I was loving all the Boston tees.

First we ran into Nicole and then Michelle! I also saw Alaina in the corral and on the course!

With the race capped and sold out to 6500 runners, getting into the pace corrals was no easy task. We got in Wave 3 with the 9-959 runners and it took about 10+ minutes to cross the start line.

Here's a glimpse of us at the start turning onto Beacon Street caught by mr C.

We spent the next 6.2 miles cruising through Boston's Back Bay, enjoying the cheers and cow-bells from the spectators, and sweating our butts off. IT WAS HOT! As much as I love bright sunny days, running in the heat after being sick was tough. I just wanted to get to the finish line as easily as my Wave Creations would carry me. 

The out & back course followed Commonwealth Ave. on the south side of the Charles River and led us to the turn around at Boston University. My step daughter and I stayed together until the last port-a-potty at mile 6. It sounds crazy to pitstop so close to the end, but I knew it would be a maze at the finisher's corral and I had no idea how long it would take to get to the port-a-potties there. The next time I saw her, she was showing off her bling!

We hung out on the Common afterwards long enough to cool down a bit and see the 2013 Boston Marathon Champion, Lelisa Desisa of Ethiopia, gift his championship medal to the city of Boston to honor the victims and families of the marathon bombings.  

As much as we would've liked to enjoy the festivities on the common all day, we were mere visitors and had to get cleaned up and checkout of the hotel. It was a great weekend, a great race, and a great first 10K finish for my step daughter at 1:02:03 - and I came in right behind her at 1:02:44. 

See you in October for the BAA Half Marathon!

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On a side note, Shlomo from the Brain Tumor Foundation in New York City asked me to share this for readers who are interested in running the ING New York City Marathon on November 3 but were not chosen in the lottery: "The Brain Tumor Foundation has a limited number of slots left on Team BTF in this year’s ING New York City Marathon, and we can offer guaranteed entry into this year’s race for those who will run with Team BTF." You can find more information on the website or go directly to the Team BTF application.  

There's still time to enter to win a Bestowed box delivered right to your door! Click here!

Review: Bestowed

About a month ago, I was contacted by Bestowed to see if I would like to review one of their monthly subscription boxes.

Normally I would pass on this kind of thing, but since I have found some great products simply by testing them at an expo or race, I decided to give it a try. Plus there is something in it for you!!

Bestowed is a monthly care package filled with five healthy product samples that are hand picked by a nutritionist and shipped to you each month to try out. The membership is $19 a month or $209 annually. I received a complimentary June box.

When my box arrived, I was happy to find that not only did it contain a variety of products to try, but also a What's Inside insert. This information sheet describes each product and gives suggestions for how to use them.

Here's what I liked in my box:

If you had asked me as a kid to put anything other than cheese on my salad lettuce, I would've shrieked at you in horror. I was a picky eater, still am in a lot of ways. But I have evolved and now put more on my salads than my teenage self ever dreamed I would. I used the GimMe Cheddar Cheese Seaweed Crumbles as a replacement for croutons and it was very tasty.

I love smoothies, especially the ones made by someone else, but sometimes I use the pre-made kind you can get at the grocery to make them at home. I added some healthiness to my "homemade" smoothies by mixing in a package of Roots Superfood Powder. I made one with Zizo coconut water and one without because I'm not a fan of the flavor coconut. I didn't like the one with the coconut water, but the Roots pack actually added some flavor.

As a lover of snacks and chips, I enjoyed trying the Acai Berry Nut Butter. I tried it on Ritz and saltines, and it was good on both. I could easily see throwing the packets in my lunch bag and snacking at work.

The rest of my box included a coconut cashew TrueBar (which I didn't try because of the coconut), some antibacterial hand wipes from Herban Essentials that I already stashed in a desk drawer at work, and a free download of the Bon'App app that would be great for someone counting calories. I really wanted to use the coupon for a free package of Dr. Praeger's California veggie burgers, but they aren't sold in any of my local groceries.

A monthly subscription to Bestowed is great for people who are really focused on healthy products, but honestly that's not me. It's nice that you can try a sample of something and then go buy more because you already know that you like it. You have to acknowledge that there are going to be some items that you won't like or don't want to use, and some of the products might be available online only.

Bestowed has generously offered to give one lucky reader a free one-month subscription.

To enter all you have to do is share this review and giveaway - on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, anywhere.

That's it.

Leave a separate comment for each way that you shared. The more you share, the more chances you have to win.

Winner will be chosen randomly and announced on Monday!

Bestowed is also offering $5 off all monthly/yearly subscriptions when you use the code 5OFFBSTOWED01 at checkout.

TrainingTruths: One thing to Love

Last week I talked about how happy I was that my legs were feeling good again and I was ready to start building my weekly mileage back up.

Then I got sick. I had been fighting off a cold that turned worse before it got better. I even took a day off from running! That hardly ever happens unless I'm injured. Needless to say, I didn't like it, not one bit.

But there was one thing to love about last week...seeing my stepdaughter complete her first 10K!

On Tuesday my stepdaughter and I did her 10K training run together after school. At first we thought it might rain, but we got lucky and managed 4 dry miles. It was a regular route for me, but she told me afterwards that she didn't like the out & back. They can be mentally harder than loops.

I took an extra rest day on Thursday after I went home from work early and napped the afternoon away. I thought I might feel well enough to make up the run on Friday, but instead I took a sick day. I was too tired to do much of anything except wonder if I would be well enough to run the BAA 10K on Sunday with my stepdaughter.

In spite of my cold, I did finish the #SeizetheSolstice Instagram challenge that Athleta hosted. It was fun (most of the time) trying the new poses. Here are some of my favorites from the week. I'm still planning to focus on improving my yoga skills, but hopefully I'll find another challenge to help keep me motivated.

Clockwise: eagle pose, locust pose, shoulder stand, and dolphin pose

We drove down to Boston on Saturday and spent the day enjoying some of our favorite places. We made a stop on Boylston to pay our respects. It was our first time back since Marathon Weekend when I ran the BAA 5K. I was touched by the variety of memorial tokens, and this Manchester City Marathon shirt tucked in a corner caught my eye.  

On Sunday my stepdaughter and I laced up our Mizunos for her first 10K race while her dad took the role of escort, photographer, and master spectator. I'll share more in the recap, but running in the heat after my worst NH cold wasn't easy, but she did awesome!

What's one thing you have to love about last week?

Review: Mizuno Wave Creation 14s

For about two months now I have been running in a new pair of Mizunos...the Wave Creation 14s. I picked these up at the Boston Marathon Expo back in April, but the review was put on hold after the horrific events on Marathon Monday.

To be perfectly honest, when I bought these I did not NEED a new pair of running shoes. Not really. I had just bought a new pair of Wave Rider 16s in January. I wear the Wave Riders on my shorter runs and usually wear Wave Inspires on my longer runs. I have a pair of Inspire 8s and at the expo, I was actually hoping to get a pair of the new 9s. Unfortunately, they did not have the color choice I wanted. Enter Mary from Mizuno.

I first met Mary from Mizuno in Manchester at a fun run at Runner's Alley when she brought along a bag full of Wave Rider 16s for everyone to test. This of course let to my purchase. This time Mary showed me the Wave Creation 14s as a optional choice for long runs.

I slipped them on and they felt amazing. Like the WR16s, they are soft and very lightweight. Unlike the Inspires, the Creation is a neutral shoe, but Mary assured me that there was good stability in these shoes and that they would work on my long runs.

I have worn my Wave Creation 14s on a variety of runs: short, long, road, trail. They are my new favorite. Even though I bought them to go into the rotation as a long run shoe, I find myself reaching for them for any type of run.

R- Wave Rider 16
L - Wave Creation 14

What sets this pair of Mizunos apart from the Wave Riders and Wave Inspires that I own is the two-tiered Wave plate that makes up the heal. It makes the bottom of the shoe look bigger and it's divided into two parts. And even though they look bigger and are technically heavier, they feel just as light as the WR16.

Every time I get a new pair of Mizunos, I think they are the best. Mizuno just makes great shoes!