Category Archives: Running

Twitter talk: can’t-live-without, favorite running gear

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If you’re a runner you know we love our gear. I’m always stopping by my local running store to see what’s new, reading gear reviews on other running blogs and obsessing over the latest and greatest new product. But we all have our favorites and I wanted to know what are the absolute favorite, can’t-live-without running accessories and gear from my Tweeps! For me, I really don’t think I could live without my Zensah compression sleeves or my foam roller. Without them I’d be running with hair in my eyes and cramps in my legs. Here’s what my Twitter followers had to say!

Due to technical difficulties on Storify’s end, I could not export the story to my blog. To see what people thought visit:

Twitter talk: favorite running gear and accessories

To take part in my weekly Twitter Talk, simply follow me on Twitter at @FitHappyGirl and be on the lookout for my question of the week every Thursday from noon to 6 p.m.

Week 15: half-marathon training update

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Oh my goodness I am so sorry this has taken me so long to post! Last weekend was a tad bit crazy for me and work has been out of control but I really wanted to update everyone on my training last week because it was nothing short of AMAZING!

For one, I hit a huge milestone and ran the farthest I’ve ever run- 14 miles! It felt so incredibly amazing, I almost didn’t want to stop (but my legs clearly had other plans!). I also was about to do the first track workout I had done in a very long time and that was pretty amazing as well. Before I go on, let me backtrack.

On Monday I started out my day with a little yoga for recovery on Lululemon’s YouTube channel. I wanted to do this because my legs were a little tight from the weekend before. After work, my cousin and fantastic training partner, met me at my office and we headed over to the local high school track to do a sprint interval workout. Neither of us had done this in weeks so it really felt great to get “back on track” and do some sprints. Her legs were also tired from the weekend before so we took it easy and did 4×800 sprints at 7:12 pace with about 400m of jogging in between.

On Tuesday I did some more yoga, as well as weight training for my arms and core exercises. Last week I didn’t get a chance to lift as much as I like to because I had some late nights at work, so I tried to get in some lifting on “rest” days.

On Wednesday I was able to get up early and head to the gym. I ran 4 miles at 9:33 pace and then did 1 mile on the elliptical. After that I hit the weights and did some squats and lunges. I also did a bunch of core exercises.

Thursday I did yoga and core exercises in the morning before work. I had to stay late for a meeting so I wanted to get in some exercise before. I did a power vinyasa yoga exercise and felt great after.

I drove up to my cousin’s new apartment in Marblehead on Friday because we had a long run planned for early Saturday morning. We had a great night checking out the local digs and carbo-loading, if you will, at the Barnacle, located right on Marblehead Harbor. However, we probably stayed out a little too late because the Saturday morning alarm clock came way too early!

Saturday was a big day for me because I had my longest run ever planned. My cousin is also training for a full marathon right now and according to her training schedule, she had to run 14 miles on Saturday. She wanted me to run it as well, and so I thought, 14 is only 1 more mile, why not? Our friend met us to do the run as well and we left the apartment around 9 a.m. (an hour after our planned start time.) We ran at a very comfortable and conversational pace and I felt like the miles just flew by. We made it to the halfway point and I couldn’t believe it was almost over! We had one problem though with hydration at mile 10. We had planned to quickly stop at a local beachside shack that usually has water but as we approached it, we saw that it was closed. Lucky for us the owner was standing right outside and said she would go in and get us water! After we had our water in hand we had some gels and were off again.

The last 4 miles were definitely a little more difficult after stopping but once the gels kicked in I felt great. The views on the run also helped to motivate us because we ran along the ocean and the weather was perfect. I was so excited to have ran a full 14 miles and it gave me even more confidence in my upcoming half marathon. I think it’s official, I’m addicted to distance running.

I took a complete rest day on Sunday after the long run the day before because my calf muscles were pretty sore.

Overall, it was a really great week of training. I felt strong and had tons of energy for my runs. This week I’ll be tapering in preparation for the half marathon which is now only a week and a half away!

What are you training for and how has it been going? Share your training stories in the comments below!

Thank you to Oiselle for amazing service!

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I want to send out a huge thank you to the lovely ladies over at Oiselle, a women’s running apparel company based out of Seattle, for sending me a complimentary Start Line t-shirt! I had ordered the On the Fly shirt a few weeks ago but the color I ordered was on backorder. I was completely fine with it when I found out because I knew it would be worth it but I was very pleased to receive a personal e-mail from an Oiselle customer service representative asking me if I’d be alright with the delay. Talk about customer service! The generosity doesn’t end there though folks.

After my Fly t-shirt arrived in the mail I was so excited to wear it! The cotton was super comfy and the fit (I ordered a size small) was perfect. What surprised me even more however was two days ago when I came home to find a package adorning the beautiful light green and bird patterned packing tape, waiting for me. I immediately thought they had made a mistake and accidently sent me two of the same shirt. But I was wrong. I opened the package to find the very cute Start Line t-shirt with a note from the ladies at Oiselle. The note read:

Compliments of Oiselle. So sorry for the delay on the backordered t-shirt- thanks so much for your patience!

Seriously. Talk about customer service! Not to mention the shirt was also very comfy and I absolutely LOVED the starting line graphics. Needless to say I will be ordering much more running gear from Oiselle in the future. Not only do they have a commitment to running but also they have a commitment to serving their customers and I think that’s something any consumer can appreciate. Thank you Oiselle and as your saying goes “Head up, wings out!”

ENERGYbits review for runners

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A few weeks ago I started noticing a very active Twitter handle pop up on my Twitter feed. It was from a Boston-based company called ENERGYbits and they were tweeting back and forth with a lot of the runners and bloggers that I followed and before I knew it they were following me as well. They asked me if I would be interested in sampling their product and writing a review, and based on reviews and comments I heard from other runners I thought, “For sure!”

Turns out one of the brand managers is actually a fellow UMass Amherst alum so I knew it was a good idea! According to their website, ENERGYbits are natural algae tabs that are designed to boost endurance, energy and enhance health. As a runner, I thought these bits could be a great way to fuel before a run, especially a long run, to keep me going until the final mile.

ENERGYbits are made of 100 percent organically grown spirulina algae. Now when we think algae we think of that nasty stuff that floats to the top of ponds and lakes during the summer, but it turns out that nasty stuff has some amazing health benefits. At just one calorie per tab, the spirulina in ENERGYbits has the highest concentration of protein in the world- three times the amount in steak. These tiny little bits also contain 40 vitamins and minerals, Omega-3s and 64 percent protein.

Nutritional information via ENERGYbits’ website.

I decided to try ENERGYbits before my long run two weeks ago to see if they really did help me with endurance and energy. I set out for a long and slow 8-mile loop through nearby neighborhoods. Before heading out I took the recommended dosage of 30 ENERGYbit tabs. You’re probably thinking, 30?? That’s an insane amount of tabs! But really it wasn’t that bad. The tabs are so tiny and easy to swallow, you won’t even notice there are so many. However, one word of caution- they do not smell good and they taste even worse. The people at ENERGYbits suggest you swallow the tabs with a liquid as opposed to chew them as they are an acquired taste. But who chews vitamins anyways? I took them with some juice and could barely taste them.

Once I was good to go for my run I set out the door with my Runmeter tracking my run and waited for the results. I didn’t notice a huge difference in my running but I felt very comfortable and energized, but not in that jacked-up caffeine-high kind of way. I just felt very awake, which was great considering it was 7 a.m. on a Saturday morning. The real dealbreaker was at the end of my run when I checked my Runmeter to see I ran 8 miles in 1:05. What. That was an 8:08 average pace. Insanity!?

I can’t say for sure ENERGYbits caused me to run like the wind but they must have done something right because I’ve never run a long run that fast in my life. Moral of the story? If you’re looking to boost energy and endurance in a natural way be sure to check out ENERGYbits. They worked for me and have worked for countless other endurance athletes, so they might work for you too!

There are also three other bits in the Boston-based company’s inventory: RECOVERYbits, VITALITYbits and SKINNYbits. They are also all made out of algae but serve different purposes. If you’re interested in trying them out use the code BLOG at the checkout to get 10 percent off your purchase!

You can also find ENERGYbits on Twitter @ENERGYbits and on Facebook. Have you tried ENERGYbits? If so, let me know what you thought about them in the comments section below!

DISCLAIMER: ENERGYbits sent me a complimentary sample to review. I did not receive compensation for the review and they were not guaranteed a positive review. All opinions are my own.

Week 14: Half-marathon training

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Last week was a pretty amazing week for training for me. To start I ran four days in the week (haven’t done that since I hurt my knee!) and I placed FOURTH for my age group at a local 5K I raced on Saturday!

While I didn’t have a long run this week according to my plan, I was really happy to get out there four days during the week to run. Now I wish I could make it five but baby steps for now. Overall, I’m becoming much more comfortable with my form. It’s starting to feel less awkward and I no longer have to concentrate on it as much which is good. Don’t get me wrong, I still focus on lifting from the core, leaning from my ankles and “gun-slinging” my arms but it’s becoming more natural as opposed to something I have to always consciously think about.

I started off with an easy 2-mile run on Monday. I finished the run in 19:35 which wasn’t bad but I wish I could start getting a little faster. The weather was less than desirable and I definitely went out for my run way too soon after breakfast, causing cramping but overall it was a good run.

On Tuesday I just did a half an hour of yoga and then ab workouts including planks and other core exercises.

I had to run after work on Wednesday unfortunately because I much rather run in the morning. I did what was supposed to be an easy 4 mile run but ended up being a 3.5 mile run ending with my legs cramping up like you wouldn’t believe. It was only 80 degrees out but the humidity was at 80 percent. It was unbearable! I followed up this run with a ton of stretching and some yoga to help my muscles calm down.

Thursday was for cross-training and strengthening. I did some yoga and worked on strengthening my arms and legs, as well as ab work.

Friday I rested and just did yoga and abs. I had my race the next day so I wanted to make sure my legs were fresh.

Saturday was race day! I signed up for this race late but am so glad I did. I hadn’t raced in awhile but I thought this race would be a great opportunity to race before my half-marathon but more to meet other local runners. I tend to travel for running partners but I wish I had some local running friends to go on long runs with.

The race ended up being a lot hotter than I expected but overall it was really great. According to Cool Running, my finish time was 28:07 and I came in fourth for my age group which was female runners ages 20-29. I’ve never been high up in the rankings for a race in my life so this was a huge accomplishment! I went into this race thinking I wasn’t going to race hard, because I don’t want to risk getting injured before my half-marathon, and I really didn’t but now I’m wishing I had gone a little harder, maybe I could have placed higher!

Either way I’m proud of my accomplishment, even if I could’ve gotten a much faster time! Another great thing about racing locally is most of your family and friends can make it out to see you race. My parents came to the race on Saturday and lucky for me my Dad was there to take a pretty embarrassing post-race video of myself. I’m not ashamed and I’m not envious of the two 12-year-olds who beat me. Take a look:

Sunday I really wanted to work on controlling my form and my pace. With the new form I tend to run really fast, which, believe me is not a problem! But when I go out for my 10, 12, and 13 mile runs I tend to get out of breathe around mile 8 because I’m going at an 8:03 pace. So I took to the gym to try my new form out on the treadmill so I could manually control my pace. I did a quick 4.5 mile run at varying paces so I could feel the difference in each pace. I think it went pretty well and I’m hoping I’ll be able to try it out on my long run this weekend.

Overall I felt really great last week. I am hoping to have another good week this week and I honestly cannot wait for the half-marathon to be here! Eighteen days and counting!

What are you training for? How is it going? Share your training with me in the comment section below!

Monday Motivation: Dream big

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I’m usually not the biggest fan of semi-cliche sayings like “Dream Big” but lately, it’s constantly running through my mind. As I look back to March, when I couldn’t even run a mile, and now I’m getting ready to run a half-marathon, I really can’t believe it. I also can’t believe how much running has literally changed my life. Things I never thought would happen for me are finally happening and I’m just so proud of how far I’ve come. I also am a believer in the fact that big dreams should be a little scary but if you have enough confidence in yourself, they aren’t impossible. So as the saying goes “Dream big” because as big as you can dream you can achieve greatness. Happy Monday and good luck with your training runs this week!

What are your big dreams for the week? Share them in the comments section!

Mini race recap: Wrentham Wroad Wrace

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Me at the Wrentham Wroad Wrace!

Earlier this week I found out there was going to be a 5K literally 5 minutes from my house in Wrentham, Mass. called the Wrentham Wroad Wrace. Of course I immediately signed up because usually I have to travel for races but this one was so close!

As I said it was just a 5K so nothing too crazy but it was really great to get out there and race. It’s hard to believe but I actually haven’t “raced” many road races. I’ve done a few since I started running in March but I can literally count them on one hand. This is not OK, I realize this. While I went into this race just wanting to have fun and get to know some of the local runners I came away from it with so much more.

Pre-race prep the night before the race.

I love to run! But I also really enjoy racing. I love all of it from the pre-race prep and dynamic stretching to the gun going off at the start line and the cheers at the finish. Nothing better. This race also made me realize the only way to get better at racing is to race often. There’s such a science behind where to line up at the start and how much water to drink, what to bring on race day and how to pass other runners without being obnoxious. And frankly, the only way to get better at these details of racing is to get out there and race.

While I absolutely love my long runs and going for longer distances, I think running these shorter, faster distances are the only way to improve on racing techniques. I know I’m never going to be a sub-3 marathoner (unless I’m talking about my Paul Ryan time) and I’m fine with that because more than racing and PRs and time, I just love running. To me, my end goal is to be a runner for life no matter how fast or how slow. If that means not racing for a few months, or racing every weekend I’m OK either way. All I know is today was a great race, and despite awfully high temperatures and unbearable humidity, the camaraderie of the other runners is really what makes it special.

Ready to run!

As far as my finish time, well I made a huge racing mistake here because I started my RunKeeper before I got to the start line and forgot to stop it at the finish line. These are the kinds of things you can only learn by racing often. Hopefully they’ll put up the results soon so stay tuned!

If you raced this weekend share it in the comments section below! What did you race? How did it go?

Twitter chat: Morning or night runner?

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The more I continue to run and train for distance races the more I am realizing what kind of runner I am and when I run the best. For me it seems my legs are freshest in the morning but everyone is different. So I asked my Twitter runner friends what they prefer. Here are their answers!

  1. Cordynamics

    Thu, Sep 06 2012 14:27:04
  2. Some runners (like myself) feel best running in the morning like these guys.
  3. GirlsGotSole
    @FitHappyGirl Morning runner for sure. I like to get it done first thing.#runchat

    Shannon Chenoweth

    Wed, Sep 05 2012 16:12:11
  4. cwpowell
    @FitHappyGirl def. morning for me. Plus it gets my mind right for the rest of the day.

    Christopher Powell

    Wed, Sep 05 2012 16:28:16
  5. nfdcanman
    @FitHappyGirl ohhh gotcha my bad – morning run any condition – gets the day going!

    Mark Vincent Sicuso

    Thu, Sep 06 2012 09:59:33
  6. McGeeCoor
    @FitHappyGirl mostly morning. Get it out of the way. feel so much more productIve. Leaves evenings open for other stuff.

    Why not?

    Thu, Sep 06 2012 09:51:50
  7. McGeeCoor
    @FitHappyGirl I’m usually up by 415 out of house by 445/450. about 20-25 min drive depending what I’m doing. So, yes! Die by 930@night. Ha

    Why not?

    Thu, Sep 06 2012 10:32:39
  8. moefaherty
    @FitHappyGirl First thing in the morning! Especially in summer when it’s cooler. Less chance of conflict, plus great start to my day :)

    maureen faherty

    Thu, Sep 06 2012 10:51:17
  9. merunfast
    @FitHappyGirl A morning runner! I like that the roads are empty & gives me more energy during the day. Downside? Early to bed is not easy!

    Me Run Fast

    Thu, Sep 06 2012 10:56:59
  10. sarahfaith
    @FitHappyGirl morning. I love the cool air and the sun rising.

    sarahfaith

    Thu, Sep 06 2012 11:04:01
  11. Some runners prefer to run at night.
  12. notquitePre
    @FitHappyGirl Night – just feels calmer, cleaner and more natural to me!

    notquitepre.com RUN!

    Thu, Sep 06 2012 09:50:50
  13. megankwagner
    @FitHappyGirl night because mornings are from the devil (disclaimer: watched The Waterboy last night).

    Megan Wagner

    Thu, Sep 06 2012 10:08:51
  14. SkinnySometimes
    @FitHappyGirl I prefer to run in the evenings because I am the most hydrated. I get headaches in the morning.

    SkinnySometimes

    Thu, Sep 06 2012 11:28:15
  15. FitGirlPW
    @FitHappyGirl I’m usually an evening girl during the week (not an early riser), and mornings on the weekend #runchat

    Marielle

    Thu, Sep 06 2012 13:18:45
  16. For other runners, it depends on the day and what they’re feeling like.
  17. CeliacRunner
    @FitHappyGirl For me, depends on the season, I love afternoon runs in winter when it’s warm/inviting, morning runs in spring. #runchat

    Rebecca Bishop

    Wed, Sep 05 2012 16:37:38
  18. nycrunninggirl
    @FitHappyGirl both! I prefer evenings but do mornings when I have something after work

    Abby

    Thu, Sep 06 2012 09:52:12
  19. angelinasimms
    @FitHappyGirl In NY it was whenever. In TX I have to strategically plan my runs according to the temps. Don’t how the locals do it!#runchat

    Angelina Simms

    Thu, Sep 06 2012 12:21:31

I’m trying to host a Question of the Week Twitter chat every week. It’s simple, I ask the question and you answer. To get involved simply follow me on Twitter at @FitHappyGirl and be on the lookout for my question!

Also, if you didn’t participate this week feel free to post your answer in the comments section below. Are you a morning runner or night runner? Either way, run happy!

Fit Girl Happy Girl as seen on #RunChat

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I just wanted to again extend a huge thank you to the folks over at #RunChat for featuring my blog on their website last month in honor of Running Blogs Month. Throughout the month of August they featured running bloggers from all over the country (and some from across the pond!) on their website as a way to celebrate and connect people in the running community through blogs. As a token of their appreciation of us, last night they sent out these nifty “As seen on #RunChat” badges to add to our sites. I can say I’m very proud to be involved in #RunChat and will display this badge prominently on my site. Thanks again David (@RunningBecause) and Scott (@iRunnerBlog)!

Interested in participating in the next Twitter #RunChat? Simply log on to Twitter and follow the hashtag #runchat, answer the questions and there you go! The next #RunChat will be on Sept. 9 at 8:00 p.m.

Week 13: Half marathon training update

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I think my sweet new Nike outfit helped with my 8-miler!

This past week was a great week of training runs for me. I really can’t express enough how HUGE of a difference changing my form has made. (If you didn’t check it out yet, take a look at my post about how I changed my running form and simple steps to improve yours as well!) I have to admit, I was a little skeptical of the claim that changing my form would completely solve my IT Band problems but it really has. I’ve had three runs since changing my form and (knock on wood!) I haven’t felt any IT band pain.

I started the week out on Monday with an easy 3-mile run. I finished the run in 27 minutes and felt pretty good during it. This run was before I got feedback from Ryan Knapp about my form so I tried correcting my form on my own based on articles I had read. I knew I needed to land on my mid-foot as opposed to my heel so I tried my best to do that. I felt IT Band pain around 1.5 miles but was able to avoid a massive flare-up by really focusing on my form.

Tuesday was a cross-training day for me so I woke up early to get that done. I did two “Tone It Up” videos- Sunset workout for 12 minutes and the thighs workout for 16 minutes (times two)- because I had heard so much about them. I’m working on another post about using them for cross-training so check back soon for that! I also added in some leg exercises I read about in the Runner’s World half marathon issue. Then I did my plank a day and 50 calf raises because they help with alignment.

Wednesday was a big day for me because I received Ryan’s feedback and tips for correcting my form on Tuesday night so I was able to put them into practice during my 5-mile midweek training run. Overall this run went really well and I finished in 45 minutes. I focused on three things in particular (as mentioned in a previous post):

  • Lifting from my core in order to mid-foot strike.
  • Gunslinging my arms
  • Running with lean from my ankles

I really focused during my run on making sure I was implementing all of these tips. For the most part I found it pretty easy to incorporate them even though it felt a little awkward at first. The only tip I found difficult to implement was not running with my arms too high up on my ribcage. I tasked myself with focusing on this more during my next run.

On Thursday I did some cross-training at the gym. I did about 3 miles on the elliptical and then a bunch of strengthening exercises to help me run stronger. I focused on a lot of leg exercises because my legs have been feeling a little tired lately. I also did some arm exercises and planks.

Friday was a complete rest day!

Saturday was the real test for my new form because it was my long run day. I had 10 miles on tap but it turned into 8 miles because my stomach wasn’t feeling well but I finished 8 miles in a speedy 1 hour and 5 minutes! I couldn’t believe how fast I ran this run, especially with an upset stomach! This was my first long run since experiencing the IT Band pain and I felt like during the whole run I kept waiting for the pain to appear but it NEVER CAME! I don’t want to speak to soon however because it could still resurface but so far so good!

On Sunday I had to help my sister move back into college but it involved lots of lifting and going up and down four flights of stairs so I’m going to count it as cross-training.

Overall this week was great and I’m feeling a lot better about the half-marathon at the end of the month. I’ll be looking forward to the rest of my runs this week and hope my form will start to feel a little more natural.

Monday- 3 mile easy run, 27 min. average pace- 9:55/mile

Tuesday- Cross-training, Tone It Up workouts (Sunset and thigh workouts), planks, calf raises, Runner’s World leg exercises

Wednesday- 5 mile run, 45 min. average pace- 9:56/miles

Thursday- 3 miles on the elliptical, cross-training

Friday- Rest

Saturday- Long run 8 miles, 1:05, average pace 8:05/mile

Sunday- Moving (cross-training)