Sweaty Saturday: 4.15 for Boston and SUP time

I jumped right into the day today.

It's the holiday weekend, so instead of doing the pre-run coffee routine I decided to beat the sidewalk rush and get an early start. I was reminded that running before 7AM has more perks than just extra elbow room. It's peaceful. Instead of worrying about how to avoid crashing into commuters and dog walkers, I was able to just listen to my music and enjoy the scenery.

Speaking of music ---> I downloaded this Nike Run Club playlist and found a few new favorites in the lineup. Everyone is loving Ed Sheeran's Shape of You (me too!), but I also like Let's Go (Calvin Harris) Action! (De La Soul), 24K Magic (Bruno Mars) and This Is What You Came For (Calvin Harris).

I finished my run at 4.15 miles. 4.15 miles for Boston on #OneBostonDay. No runner will ever forget the events of 2013 (whether you were there, watching on TV, or heard about it later) and every year I donate my miles to my running community.

After a quick shower and some scrambled eggs, I returned to the beach with my SUP paddle to meet a member of the DB Ladies SUP group for the first time.

My board! My board has been stored on the rack at the Lantau Boat Club for about a week now. As soon as mrC and I got it inflated (I mentioned it here) and stored the weather turned rainy and then he had a trip (figures, right?).

I couldn't wait any longer and luckily Sue was willing to be my paddle buddy and help me break in both my board and my confidence. It felt really good to finally get my board in the water, but I was SUPER nervous because the last time I was on a board was last summer at the Cape. It is a lot like riding a bike and it all comes back to you. As we paddled around and out and back, I was getting a little braver and more confident, but my legs and feet were in nervous clench mode for the whole hour!

The picture I took after our paddle makes the water look deserted, but there were a few outrigger canoes going and at least one row team out practicing. Every 25 minutes or so the ferries to Central would come and go. Plus there was this whole Easter egg hunt on the beach thing going on.

My sweaty Saturday was pretty much perfect (except that mrC is away on a trip). I love that I can walk out my door and go for a run or walk down to the beach for a little SUP time or a ton of other active options.


Do you prefer to run with people around or while everyone is still sleeping?
What songs are on your favorites list lately?
Do you like to SUP?

5 Things to Love About Spring Running

We've been living in China and now Hong Kong for about two years. Winter here is like a very mild winter back home in New Hampshire: cold, but not cold enough for snow. The temperature hovers in my favorite place of 45-50 degrees on average. Sometimes it's colder, but rarely.

Now it's Spring in Hong Kong and the temperature is slowly reaching into the high 70s. The humidity is also on the rise. The days of running in dry air are receding from the calendar. I might still be struggling with running in the tropical climate, but there is A LOT to love about running here (and anywhere) in the Spring.

THE COLOR - Spring arrives and suddenly colors start popping out all over the place. Flowers, shrubs and trees are blooming, what was brown is transforming into green and the world just seems to be shining brighter. In my neighborhood, the birds are chirping more loudly, the grass is being cut, and hanging flower baskets are dotting the walkways around our apartment building.

MORE RUNNERS/PEOPLE OUT - When the temperatures start to warm up many people start to come out of hiding. Lately I have noticed many more runners out. Whether they are runners or not, it is nice to see more people out enjoying the day. It's even better when they offer a smile or word of encouragement as I trudge up the hills.

TANK TOPS AND SHORTS - Even though I prefer to run in cooler temps, I still like wearing tank tops and shorts better. Ditching the capris and long sleeves for lighter gear makes my run feel easier before I've even started. I love feeling the sun on my arms and legs. I'm especially loving these new shorts from Lululemon and I've got my eye on this tank from the North Face.

IT'S NOT TOO HOT, YET - It's warm enough to wear the lighter clothing, but not so much that I need to jump in the water and cool off after (although some humid runs can definitely make that thought cross my mind). There's a strong chance that I'll get a nice breeze to keep me cool on my run, but not so much that I need another layer.

THE VIEWS - Everything just looks better in the Spring. I mean, it's the same water, the same, beach, the same mountains...but now colors are popping and the mornings are coming earlier.  For me, everything just seems more scenic when Spring arrives.

What do you like about running in the Spring?

I'm linking up with Lacey and Meranda and Rachel for the Friday Five 2.0

It's Shoesday! Mizuno Wave Horizon

I admit that I've been Mizuno fan for a few years now and I've worn several different styles: (not in order - Wave Paradox, Wave Sayonara, Wave Creation 14, Wave Inspire 8, Wave Rider 16, Wave Rider 17, Wave Rider 18, and Wave Rider 19).

My current obsession is my new pair of Mizuno Wave Horizons.

I'm confident that I needed to get back into a stability shoe and I'm happy that Mizuno asked me to expand my horizons. This shoe provides the support and cushion that I wanted without weighing me down and feeling stiff.

It feels most similar to me to the Wave Inspire, as both are support shoes, but the Horizon have more cushion. This makes it about .5 oz heavier, but I think that's pretty insignificant. They are also more snug fitting than the Inspires I wore, but I like that feeling right now.

The Wave Horizon is offered in a nice mix of bold and neutral color options and are loaded with all the standard Mizuno bells and whistles and more: full length and articulated U4icX midsole, new Mizuno cloudwave technology, new U4ic midsole compound, DynamotionFit and new triple zone engineered mesh (get more details on Mizuno's website).

Besides the mix of gray and turquoise coloring with the pop of pink, I'm loving the design on the back of the shoes. I think it looks like the pattern on a soccer ball.

I've already put more than a few good miles on my Wave Horizons and I'm very happy with their performance. My muscle imbalances cause knee pain but the stability in this shoe seems to be helping (along with these 5 essential stretches for happy legs).

What are you wearing these days?

Blogged After Waiting Out the Clouds

My day started with a quick #30for30burpees session and then a Yoga with Adriene video to continue my 30 days of April yoga. There were a lot of chest opener poses today and it was exactly what my body needed. I love when the workout feels like it was tailor made for me.

I was hoping today would be the day to take my iSUP board out on the water, but I woke up to massive fog invading the island. It eventually passed or rose or whatever it is that fog does, but the day stayed gray and glooming. Not my idea of a good day for SUPing.

Because of the fog, I took the bus to the North Plaza for my Bodystep class. Normally I walk, but the bus got me there early enough to also pay the gas bill. Win. I left Bodystep in a massive heap of sweaty clothes, but it was worth it. 588 calories burned. And I walked home, continuing to get sweaty. You're welcome bus people.

Just because they added some color (and we needed color) I thought I would share my favorite food from the day  ---> strawberries!

Every time I thought about going for a walk, the sky looked like this. No thank you.

Crossing my fingers that tomorrow's weather will be better!

Tough Run, Run Love and My Weekly Wrap

Today's run was a tough one.

75 degrees at run time with 83% humidity. It was M-U-G-G-Y! My legs told me so right away. They felt like lead. This was one of those runs where the hard is extra hard and you are tempted to throw in the towel, but then an easier part comes, so you hang in there. You hang in there because you love the run. 

This goes on for the whole run, the emotional flip-flopping. When the end comes, the actual end of the run (which in my case is at the top of a seriously big hill), it is all the more sweeter because you did hang in there. You did not give up because you love the run.

Run love. Running isn't always easy. You have to give it second chances. Those second chances make you happy.

Something else that makes me happy is Wearsafe. Today I finally had a chance to set it up and use it for the first time. The Wearsafe Tag clips onto my clothes and then I'm one click away from help if I ever need it. The set up was super easy too. A proper post is in the works. Stay tuned!

Besides fitness this week, I was pretty busy with my volunteer job with the American Women's Association. I have been working on the Hong Kong Hosts committee to help arrange ship support for the USS Makin Island that came to Hong Kong for some liberty this weekend.

In addition to helping coordinate the volunteers who were hosting activities for the service men and women, I also volunteered to greet the sailors as they came ashore. It was such a privilege to have been able to do this for them.

In other exciting news, we finalized storage arrangements with the Lantau Boat Club and took my iSUP board down to the beach. With mrC's help, we had it fully inflated in about 10 minutes. I was hoping to take it out for my first spin today, but the threat of rain kept me off the water.

Now here's my workout recap ---> I'm linking up with Tricia and Holly again for the Weekly Wrap!

Monday -  I kicked off the week with some yoga and Bodystep.

Tuesday - It was just an extraordinary day with more yoga and an awesome run. 

Wednesday - Ran some errands with mrC before he left on another trip. One stop was to Times Square, a multi-floor shopping mall with more than 230 stores ranging from mid-price to luxury brands. mrC headed to Columbia Sportswear and I headed to J.Crew for another pair of my new favorite shorts. No Gucci, Jimmy Choo or Fendi for us ;)

Thursday - I was supposed to hike, but after waking up not feeling well, I stayed home and eventually finished my ship support work.

Friday - Volunteered all day and crashed when I got home. 

Saturday - Little bit of a lazy day (mrC got home late Friday night) until we went down to the beach to inflate the iSUP.

Daily - #30for30burpees challenge ---> my big plan was to keep track of my time, but I have only remembered twice to start the timer on my watch! Ugh, so frustrating. What I can tell you so far is that is doesn't feel any easier. In fact some days my legs are heavy and it's been downright hard.