et tu?

I was going to write a whiney post about how my mom is slightly bonkers and went off on me yesterday on facebook post for no legitimate reason, but i had the honor of going for a run with Kim and Anne, and honestly, it diffused all my ginger anger, and i really don't even feel like ranting any more.

Cheaper than therapy!

At least about anything serious.

Things i will rant about?

:(  I just can't get on board with this pattern/color combo.

The new Mizuno Wave Elixir 8's.

I know that as runners, our primary focus is having shoes that will protect our feet, and appearance shouldn't really matter, but i am super shallow and vain and appearance matters a lot to me!
My wave elixir 7's were so darn cute, and i ran a great and pain free marathon in them!  Why ya gonna go and change to this?  I know shoe companies need to revamp the shoe every year to boost sales, but i do not like this pattern.  Now, i am going to end up scouring the interwebs and snapping up all the wave elixir 7's like a survivalist, because this psychedelic pattern is giving me seizures.  I wish companies would consult me before they change something that i really, really like!  

Have you ever loved a shoe but disliked it's new design?  Am i just being a shallow bitch about shoe patterns?  

(Either way, i still love you Mizuno.  But seriously.  Elixir 7 hoarding starts now.)

Runner's Reads

For me, "down time" is a rarity i have come to treasure.  I have subscriptions to Runners World, and Running Times, and honestly, they usually sit on my coffee table for weeks before i get the chance to read them.  During my total stress-fest last week, i took some time off from running to curl up on the couch with my laptop, and finish The Ultimate Beginner's Running Guide, by Ryan Roberts.  (a book about running.  Hey - i know what i like!)

Thats right, i don't have a kindle and had to use my 6 year old power book.  So sue me.  

Ryan actually contacted me as a fellow runner just to say, "Hey, i wrote a book - feel free to check it out as you sometimes claim to run on your blog"  (Well played, Ryan...)

Upon learning that he was living my dream life in Alaska, i had to check out what insights he might have for me.

To begin with, it is a beginning running guide - geared for people who might be considering their first race, who are maybe fit but haven't considered running, or people who have always wanted to run, but maybe not made the jump.  That said, I am a firm believer that as i (claim to) train for my 5th marathon, i am just as much a beginner as someone eyeing their first 5k.  I still make mistakes, and i still have a lot to learn.  I have learned some tips in the book that i will now take with on my runs, that i will get to in a second.

Primarily, the book is a confidence builder.  It breaks down the idea of running into a manageable task that any of us can do.  It even includes beginners training plans!  Granted, all running is is "left foot" "right foot" and repeat, but there is a lot of confidence-building, and instructional knowledge needed as well, and this is what the book provides.  In the book Ryan has multiple training plans according to fitness level, and i may or may not be blindsiding my mom with the over 50 plan in the near future.  The woman has always wanted to run, and always made excuses not to.  Honestly, the whole damn book could do her good now that i think about it!  

Some of my key takeaways as a clueless marathoner:

Take that, T-rex arm!!

• How to banish t-rex arm.  I am a repeat t-rex arm offender.  It's embarrassing, especially in race photos.  My favorite method is "pulling the gun from the holster"  You'll have to read about it, but there is a good chance there will be reports of a rogue cowgirl on the lakefront path.  (of course he explains the benefits, and there are many, of why running like a damn T-rex is less than ideal.)
• Visualize the success!  I actually learned this at my recent public speaking seminar, but as far as i can tell, visualizing yourself succeeding is a universal win!
• And lastly, did you know that in hot humid weather, you want to wipe the sweat off frequently to cool yourself?  I was under the impression that the sweat on my skin was cooling me, so i would just let it sit there all grossified.  There is a good chance that this misinformation contributed to my heatstroke collapse at the Rockford Marathon.  Luckily, i now stand corrected!

People who are very new to running, or wanting to start running will benefit the most from this book because of the focus on motivation, nutrition, weather, confidence, shoes, gait, and detailed but easy to follow training plans.  But i think the devil is in the details in that there are key nuggets of knowledge in there that benefit any runner - you never realize how much you don't know until you know it.

So check out Ryans book here:

http://www.amazon.com/Ultimate-Beginners-Running-Guide-ebook/dp/B0071G22AW

if you are interested, or know someone who might need a little motivation to take the plunge into the running world!

Most of you are probably way cooler than i and have kindles, but if not, there are free apps that can turn your old brick of mac into a large clunky kindle.   :)

And, i will end this with a question, and a popsicle joke.  Would you ever buy a beginners running book for a friend or family member? (without them directly asking for it)

As we all know, i have been having a terrible couple weeks, but i think this was my sign to  get back on that horse.  And also to stop eating so many popsicles in February....

Dead week and mixology magic.

If you follow me on daily mile, you may notice the big fat goose egg that has been sitting next to my name this week.  Yeah, it's driving me crazy.  But honestly?  I have been training my bootie off for the past 10 months, and quite frankly, I'm exhausted.  I'm not so much physically exhausted - it's not like i have ever (or will ever) put in a 100 mile week, but i am mentally drained.  For me, the hardest part about running as much as i have this year is everything i have to skip to make it possible.  Working and commuting as much as i do doesn't allow you bundles of free time, so every morning i wake up, and if i want to run, i have to decide what to skip.  (Spoiler: It's usually laundry)

So, this week i am catching up on sleep, dishes, laundry, housework, cooking healthy meals, training my monster dog, visiting with old friends, and just a crap ton of stuff i have been putting off (I'm looking at YOU broken tail light!)  I am also in the process of weening myself off the horrifying levels of caffeine and sugar that have sustained me the past ten months, as well as the 4000 calories a day that i really don't need right now.  I could always just run another marathon, but i like to think that taking a little me time right now will set me up for a stellar year next year, where i will be faster, stronger, more organized, and will succeed in keeping laundry mountain in check.

While major changes to the diet are a huge struggle (how do i feel so deprived on 2500 calories a day?  I would die in the third world. FWP.) There have been two really easy transitions.  One is weening myself off of candy.  I always have it in the car during my 2-3 hours commuting every day.  I am not banning candy - it's just not allowed in the car.  The second is soda.  During marathon season I enjoy a full sugar soda a few times a week.  To me it's almost the same thing as gatorade only 10 million times tastier.  It's also quick and easy carbo-loading. (nutritionists, please pause - i know there are different types of carbs.)  However when i am not running 40 miles a week, all that sugar is just extra calories i don't need right now.  I am also not a huge fan of diet soda.  It is not the same thing.  Thats why thanks to Coca-cola and there new freestyle machines (have you seen them? They look like soda robots from the future!), i have made up a few "compromises" that have less calories, but still taste deeeeelish!

Ignore the fact that i look homeless, it's been a long week.

 Basically, these machines let you customize your drink.  You can literally make hundreds of different combinations, so its pretty sure to please everyone, even picky divas like myself.

You can locate machines through their website HERE.  We found one that was supposed to be at the walgreens by our place, but sadly, they are still remodeling and the machine wasn't there yet.  Luckily, i bribed Matt to go with me to Potbellys by offering to buy him a beverage and dream bar.

 My #1 drink is "The Gingerfoxxx"  It's half coke zero, half cherry coke.  Unfortunately though, we went in the evening, and i was worried the caffeine would interfere with my 9:30 bedtime.  So, i improvised with:

"The Nightfoxxx!"  A caffeine free and sparkly alternative.  Its 2 parts Dasani raspberry sparkling water, 1 part Sprite Vanilla, and 1 part Seagrams club soda.  It's delicious, and slightly reminiscent of cream soda! 

I also created a drink for Matt that we named the "Deans Delight" which was half Hi-C raspberry lime, half Seagrams club soda (we're big club soda people.)

Both of our drinks had less than half the calories of a normal soda (Matt isn't running these days either) and were still really tasty.  I really hope to see more of these machines, because to me, mixing soda flavors kind of comes naturally.  If one flavor is good, 4 flavors will be even better.  I vote to see them in 7-11's and gas stations.  And i told them this.  But until then, you can find them at some of the new "Super-Walgreens", Burger Kings, and some of the "fast casual" restaurants like Potbellys, Go Roma, Noodles & Co, and Five Guys.  And some movie theaters too!

So cheers!  Go forth and create awesome drinks.  Or if not, just try the Gingerfoxxx, you won't regret it.  It's totally a thing now, because i said so.  Orrrrr, try to make something better- what crazy combo can you think up??


***Also, It looks like the coke freestyle team will be at the Northwestern/Illinois game the weekend after thanksgiving - go check them out, and go Illini!

G-foxxx summer saviors

Despite the fact the summer is still "officially" like two weeks away, its hard not to feel like we're in the thick of it with so many 80 and 90 degree days already this year!  I just wanted to call out a couple things i have discovered this far that will be helping me survive the summer!


1.  I have always been a firm believer that anything over SPF 30 is basically a marketing gimmick.  That is, until i picked up this baby The Coppertone Sport Pro Series SPF 50-

I picked it up at Walgreens the night before the Rockford marathon because i forgot to bring sunblock to the 90 degree no shade marathon (who lets me pack my own bag??)  any way, i got this because i like the spray better than the lotion, and i figured that "Sport: PRO series" was obviously targeting me.  This stuff is awesome.  I was in full burning sun at rockford for like 6 hours, dumping water on my head and sweating like a whore in church, and i was STILL completely sunburn free, except for one little spot on my arm where i very obviously missed.  I used it again at Sunburst, (although only the second half was super sunny) but still - no burn.  This is a gingers best friend.


2.  Legends of my ability to both consume martinis and run marathons has spread far and wide.  The nice folks at Rebootizer sent some of the Sweat Pink ladies this to try, and i was a little afraid of it to be honest - it looks super hi-tech.  

But once i tried it, it was awesome.  Its basically like a super-duper vitamin detox drink.  So lets say I drank a few beers friday night and then had to run a half-marathon in the morning. You take one of these before bed, and wake up feeling fresh as a daisy.  Obviously, these are intended to be part of a healthy lifestyle and aren't miracle workers.  (you can't stay up all night taking tequila shots and then run a BQ in morning.  Well, maybe you can.  I can't.  Yet.)  I also took one every day after Rockford to help keep me from getting the post marathon sickies, because i knew i would have a revenge marathon in the following weeks.  You can get it online, but i just found out you can also get them at 7-11 too, so you can multi-task and just pick some up when you run in to pick up a case of Miller high life and a few bags of gummy bears (wait, am i the only one doing this at 7-11??)


3.  Salt Stick!  Oh how i love you salt stick.  

They actually have tons of salt replacement products available, and i am sure they all work fine.  I like the salt stick because you can buy a little pack of three at REI, and then just take the pack of three with you for a marathon.  I just wist the material of the little pack was more water resistant, because it always starts to disintegrate in my pocket.  They definitely have helped me with the heat though, and are much easier on my stomach than gatorade.


4.  Mission anti-chafe cream

I know a lot of people swear by body glide, but i like this better because it is thicker.  Its like vaseline only creamier and not so "globby"  I love this stuff, and it works.  I usually don't have many problems with chafing anyway, but in the summer when i start dumping water on myself sometimes things start to rub.  This is a summer staple for me!  I bought mine at Dicks Sporting Goods.  


I still haven't figured everything out- i have a handheld water bottle that i despise with a passion.  And i still am having trouble finding gel flavors that don't make me gag, so if anyone has some awesome summer staples, please feel free to contribute!!


Happy Summer Running!

U-G-L-Y feet.

Well, i definitely woke up in a better mood today.  I am slowly feeling more like a human and less like a slug, the non-stop tortilla chip river into my mouth has slowed to more of a small stream of tortilla chips, I have managed not to consume the ENTIRE jar of cookie butter (yet.) and i have mentally willed the high for Sunday down to 78 degrees.  (an improvement.)


Since I have this brief calm before the epic storm of pre-marathon insanity starts, i though i would use this time to review some products that were sent to me on account of my never-ending stream of complaints about the state of my feet.  Rumor has gotten out that i have the ugliest toesies this side of the Mississippi.

And this is the pretty foot.

ProFoot Care was nice enough to send me a few products to shut me up see if they could help.

They sent me a pack of moleskin sheets, insoles, and inserts for plantar fasciitis. 

First up is the Moleskin

I actually had to look up what this was over my concern that it was actually a moleskin.  (I assure you, it is not.)  As a general rule, my feet are pretty blister free.  They are so hard and callused that i am able to run great distances in cotton socks without so much as a problem.  One problem i have recently faced, however is moisture.  At the flying pig, i accidentally dumped an ENTIRE cup of gatorade on my left foot.  (In my defense, it was overfilled) And then this past weekend i did my 8 miler in the pouring rain.   Needless to say, my Pinky toes hate me right now.  They rub against the edge of my shoe when i run and it is IRRITATING.  Thats what the moleskin is for - you place it over spots on your foot that have a tendency to rub against something and become irritated, and it eliminates the friction.    

It comes in a large sheet so you can cut off however much you need - mine was just a tiny spot

And TADA!  my foot is happy again, and further irritation prevented.  Moleskin will be perfect for situations when i know my feet might get wet.  I might also use them for the two times a year i wear heels.


In my honest opinion, every runner should have some of this on standby.  If you know its going to rain, its better to slap some on and err on the safe side then to risk a blister fiasco.  An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.


Next up they sent me the Miracle Insoles.  As a general, i usually put insoles in my shoes at around 350-400 miles to help extend the life of them.  I am a cheapskate.  The insoles i had been using were from sports authority, and cost like $30, which is WAY pricey in my book.  I was excited to try these, because they retail for a fraction of the price.

I really like that these are customizable for any size foot.  Its hard to find inserts for my midget feet, and with these you can just trim them down to your shoe size.

They slip right into your shoes, and they actually make a huge difference!  For me, most inserts feel the same - they add some squish to your step (in a good way) and really helps cushion your foot for the long runs.  What i like about these in particular is that they are SO light.  The box says "2 oz" which is featherlight in my book - especially compared to the insole honkers i have now, which feel like 20lbs compared to these.  In short - they are comfy, and you can't tell they are there.  Exactly what i want in an insert!

My take on inserts?  I personally just use them to extend the life of shoes.  In general, i am a hard footed girl, so i don't need too much cushioning, but it did feel very nice, and made my old shoes feel like new again which i love (especially because my pink shoe is discontinued - i will run these babies into the GROUND.) If you have delicate feet, or like a soft ride, you will love these.


The last up is an insert for Plantar Fasciitis.

The only problem is, i don't have Plantar Fasciitis!  In fact, I have very high arches.

Do you have problems with Plantar Fasciitis?  Would you like to review these inserts?  If you're interested, just leave a comment.  The first person to call dibs, i will mail them to you, and you can review them for your blog (or, if you don't blog, you can just write a little note to them)


I really appreciate a company that reaches out to average runners like myself for feedback on their product. Because we're the ones that will probably at one point or another need these products to help our non elite feet adjust to the strain we put on them.  Their prices are really reasonable, and their line is available at Walgreens.  In the past i have gone to sports authority for things like this, but in general, Sports Authority has a limited selection, and their prices seem really high for inserts.  


And, on a personal note, as a packaging designer, i love their packaging.  Its bright and fresh, and lets you touch the package without exposing it too much.  But that is neither here nor there.