Holidays and Athletes

I could write the traditional avoid the holiday weight gain post but I won't. We already know what we should and shouldn't do. Whether or not we follow our own advice is another story. Instead I want to talk about a deeper problem.... shopping for an athlete who has everything!

With Shane and I both running and racing almost every weekend we usually don't hesitate to buy things that make running, recovery, and tracking workouts easier. We seemingly have everything and it just keeps getting harder to buy for eachother as the years go by. So this year I'm starting early with some brainstorming and I wanted to share. I hope this helps with shopping for the athlete on your list!

Starting on the inexpensive end you may want to check out the iFit app, available on iTunes for your iPhone, iPad, or iPod. It can sync with other iFit enabled devices (your gym's treadmill, etc) as well as track weight, calories, and workouts. You can set a metronome to work on your cadence, hear voice prompts to keep you on track, connect with a heart rate monitor, and more. And it's all only $1.99!

Moving onwards, every runner needs (good) advice and some help with planning their training. Depending on your runner's history and level of running I've come up with two great choices for getting them off on the right foot but less expensive than hiring a coach! The first is the Big Book of Marathon and Half Marathon Training from the folks at Runner's World Magazine. This book offers everything I wish I'd known or done when I ran my first marathon. It will cost you $27.95 on the Runner's World website.

The second book is for the more advanced runner and is extremely popular with those looking to PR by a large margin or qualify for Boston. Pete Pfitzinger's 'Advanced Marathoning' offers a look at the physiology behind each workout and why it should be included in your training. From diet to cross training to plans ranging from 55 - 100 miles per week this book has it all! I found this book as low as $13.57 on Amazon.com.

The next item is for the athlete in your home who seems to have medals jammed in every corner or hanging from every possible space. Maybe your daughter is earning cheerleading medals every other weekend or your son is racing through his karate belts and winning tournaments. No matter the medal or award Allied Medal Hangers has something for you to display it on. We currently have 4 of these in our house plus two extender bars. They are virtually indestructible, beautiful, and hold more medals than I ever thought possible! Ranging from about $40 up to $100+ you can choose from any of the awesome styles available or design your own.

The LG Tone+ is a revamped version of the LG Tone I reviewed last year. You may already be familiar with LG products through your radio or television or mobile devices. The updated Tone contains all of the features and quality expected in an LG product plus some. Listening to music on the Tone+ is a great experience. It has all the sound quality of the really expensive headsets and even offers bass response and noise reduction. This makes it great for listening to music at the gym when you want to block out the grunting guy on the weight set or craptastic canned music they play. If you have a smart phone and the right app you can also experience text to speech so you can have your text messages read to you instead of digging for your phone while walking, driving or working out. With 10 hours of music listening and up to 15 of talk time you don't have to worry about your battery dying during the day. Lastly, the connection to your phone or device uses Bluetooth technology so there's no more wires to get tangled or bounce. The LG Tone+ is available online and in stores. So far the lowest price I've found is $52.99 at Newegg.com.

With the earbuds stowed

 

Earbuds loose for easy listening

 

For the stylish runner in your life you can't beat INKnBURN. I talk about INB gear all the time and I wear it even more than I talk about it! I can honestly say that I never experience chafing or constriction while running in their clothing. And it doesn't fade, bleed or lose quality even after tons of times through the wash. For women my favorite items are the camisoles (see the Roses below) and for men I love the Run or Die shirts (who am I kidding? I have one too!). With everything from headbands to calf sleeves to Halloween running gear INKnBURN has something for every budget and every style plus their gear is made in the USA!

 

 

I hope this holiday shopping guide helps you stuff plenty of stockings compression socks for the athlete in your life (or yourself) this holiday season! Do you think I overlooked a great product? Let me know and I'll start compiling the second edition just in time for Thanksgiving!

Disclaimer: I was provided with free product for several of these reviews. As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Farmer's Inn

As Sandy moves in to attack the coast people are scrambling to buy generators, stockpile food, and fill up with gas. Shane and I aren't really the type to panic though. We made it through a weeklong blackout last winter by cooking on our propane camping stove and sleeping (dogs and all) on the pull out bed in the living room. In the end, all that mattered is we all survived no worse for wear (minus one hamster). So instead of spending our weekend worrying we decided to run instead!

Shane was already registered for the Farmer's Inn half marathon today but he was worried this wouldn't count towards him becoming a Half Fanatic. See you need 20 registered runners and at least 15 finishers for a race to count and, at last check, the Farmer's Inn had 16 registered. Shane decided that the best remedy was to sign me up and pray that 3 more people showed up this morning.

We woke up at 4am and got ready to drive the 2.5 hours to Sigel, PA. The Farmer's Inn is a neat little place with lots of different animals, mini golf, playgrounds, Amish furniture, a leather shop, a gift store and a restaurant. Any other time we would have had a great time exploring and shopping but today it was cold and raining and we were already exhausted from the Apocalypse 5k yesterday.

Staying warm in the car

I know what you're thinking... Steam Punk shirt plus butterfly arm warmers? Who taught you how to dress? The answer, of course, is 4am did. Coupled with the fact that I have exactly two sets of arm sleeves at present... butterflies or hearts. Oh well.

At 9am the race director sent us off with an air horn, all 24 of us. I took off as fast as my poor little legs could carry me and enjoyed the downhill portion of the first two miles. I had been warned that this course is 'rolling'. I think that's a misnomer. At 2.25 miles you start a climb from 1,300 feet up to 2,000 feet by mile 8. The remaining 5 miles are rolling if you're legs aren't totally destroyed. Unfortunately for me that wasn't the case.

Elevation profile

 

By the 10k mark I was just in it to finish. By mile 8 I was wondering if it really mattered anyway. The wind and misting rain were picking up and I couldn't feel my fingers, toes or nose. If I had been able to work the zipper on my SPIbelt I might have just called for a ride. As it was I just kept plugging along as best as I could manage. Running was the only way I could stay somewhat warm so I was forced to maintain a steady clip on all the manageable hills.

 

At the 10 mile mark there was an unmanned water stop (1 of 2 on the course). I carried my handheld so I didn't need water but there was a directional sign there. The arrow appeared to be pointing left so I turned onto a dirt road. About a quarter mile up the trail forked and there was no indication of which way to go. I looked at the ground and realized I didn't see any other footprints in the mud. I almost cried realizing I must have gone off course. I made my way back to the water stop and looked up the road. I could see a few empty bottles on the side of the pavement and realized I was supposed to go straight. I don't know what was wrong with the arrow or if someone thought it was funny to switch it but I lost a lot of time here and probably would have quit if there would have been a volunteer at the stop.

 

As I pulled myself out of my funk and continued to chug along I got colder and colder. My hands were swollen, my feet felt like bricks, and I couldn't even zip up my jacket. All I could focus on was the hot buffet waiting at the end, free to all runners. Half a mile from the finish I spotted a bright yellow hoody coming my way. Oh Hallelujah! It was Shane and he'd come out to find me and get me to the finish. I checked my Garmin for the first time in many miles and realized I could still beat my slowest half time (2:29). We jogged up the lane and I crossed the mat in 2:27:12.

 

I was 22nd of 23 finishers and 2nd in my age group (out of 3). I would have had to run a 2:05 to place today and that just wasn't going to happen with the elevation of the course and the condition of my legs. Overall, I'm just glad it's over and Shane and I can qualify for the Half Fanatics if we so choose.

 

 Finisher's Trophy

 

Shirt

 

Shane goofing off

 

So for a final recap of October:

10/6 - Central Elementary 5k - 24:27 (new PR), 2nd woman

10/13 - Baltimore Marathon - 4:36 (new PR)

10/20 - Runner's World 5k & 10k - 27:39 & 59:30

10/21 - Runner's World Half - 2:20

10/27 - Apocalypse 5k - 26:26, 4th woman, 1st in age group
10/28 - Farmer's Inn Half - 2:27, 2nd in age group

Final summary: OUCH! :)

We Survived the Apocalypse!

No, I don't mean the 'frankenstorm' that is supposed to strike the east coast in the next couple days. I mean the Alpha Fitness Apocalypse 5k this morning. After 6 races in 4 weeks, most of them hilly, my legs are in full on rebellion.

The Apocalypse started right on time at 9am and went up the Yough River Trail, through a hilly section and then turned around and came back. Mile 1 was mostly flat and I clocked an 8:10 per my Garmin. Mile 2 I hit the hills, the turnaround, and more hills. Garmin clocked 8:43. Mile 3 was better as it covered the same ground as mile 1. I think it showed as a 8:2x on the Garmin. Final showing was 3.14 miles and 26:26. That was good enough for 4th woman and 1st in my age group.

I'm a little disappointed that I couldn't drag a better response out of my legs. If I had run within 30 seconds of my 5k PR I could have taken a podium place and gotten a really cool trophy with flames on it. Oh well. Better luck next year! Shane and his mother both got first in their age groups as well. Ash and Gemma probably could have gotten age group awards if they'd gone more than one deep.

On the fun side I got a lot of compliments on my INKnBURN skeleton shirt. And Shane said my new purple highlights look very Halloween-ish (that is NOT the look I was actually going for). Now it's time to relax with the kids for a bit until we all head over to the neighborhood church for a Halloween party tonight. Then tomorrow I guess I'm running a half marathon with Shane. He just informed me of this today! LOL. Such is life in a running family I guess.

Purple highlights

 

Off to catch up on homework, FaceBook stalking and housework. I'll be back tomorrow to update on race number 7 for the month (I think)!

Three For Three

Sunday morning I woke up feeling better than expected but stiff and a little sore regardless. My stuffy nose from Baltimore has turned into a true head cold and sore throat so I was a little worried but figured I'd be okay. The last race of the Runner's World Half & Festival, the half marathon, wasn't until 8:30am so I didn't have to rush. I dressed, packed my car, and checked out of the hotel. I ate a bagel and drank my coffee while I waited for Katie.

At 7am we headed off to the expo for the final time. We parked and realized that bag check had been moved. This was the one snafu of the whole festival and it almost ruined my race. Katie and I speed walked around 3/4 of a mile to the start line and past it to the new baggage check. By the time we checked our bags and finished our final preparations I could hear the beginning of the announcements for the race happening on the road below us. We jogged back down to the start and made it to our corral just in time to line up. Then we were off on our final leg of an amazing journey!

Before the start

 

I started out at my goal pace of around 10:30 per mile. Katie and I were side by side for the first mile. We didn't say much, just focused on not doing anything to jeopardize our hat trick completion. At the end of the first mile the hills began. They wouldn't end until mile 9. I forged ahead while Katie, probably the smarter of the two of us, speed walked instead. I told myself I wanted to run the whole thing, even if it was slower than I wanted.

 

I don't remember much about the race. I was too focused on just keeping my legs moving and not giving in. After setting a new 5k PR just two weeks ago and a marathon PR last week and then running a 5k and 10k the day prior my legs were screaming on every incline. I told myself it just had to look like running even if I could probably walk faster. By the time mile 8 came I was really looking forward to seeing the end of the large hills.

 

I began trying to salvage my race and pick up the pace. As we came back into Bethlehem and I could see the SteelStacks I knew I was going to finish and I pulled the last of my reserves to try to break 2:20. As I sped to the finish line I saw Jo once again. We said hi but not much more as we tried to kick it in. My official time is listed as 2:20:07, just a few seconds slower than my goal.

 

I collected my medal, grabbed a Gatorade and a banana and then circled back to cheer in the remaining runners. I then headed for the gear check to collect my belongings, saying goodbyes along the way. It was hard to believe the festival was over and it was time to go. The last four days just flew by!

 

Katie and I after the half

 

There were two fire fighters that finished just ahead of me wearing their full gear. One of them was carrying an American flag and they were wearing 'In Memory Of' signs on their backs. I actually teared up because it brought back so many memories of my father and running for the IAFF Burn Fund. I had to catch them afterwards for a picture.

 

 

 

There was really nothing left to do except head for home. I just can't imagine how I'll ever top this weekend. Runner's World, Altra Zero Drop, Running Skirts, The Stick, Nissan, Swiftwick compression gear, and all of the sponsors, volunteers, and speakers really made this a weekend to remember!

 

Three For Three! 

 

Two Thirds Crazy

Saturday was the day that the real challenge began at the Runner's World Half & Festival! This was the day that we had to practice our restraint and run the 5k and the 10k at a pace that wouldn't leave us hobbled for the half on Sunday. As we all know, I am not good at restraint! (And if you are curious, you can find day 1 here and day 2 here)

The morning began with an early wake up call. I ate very little and then met Katie of Katie Runs This in the lobby to catch our shuttle to the expo. We dropped our bags at the gear check and wandered around chatting with the other runners.

Katie and I pre-race

 

Wouldn't you know we ran into more of our running idols! I'm still surprised I didn't suffer a heart attack this weekend! Dean Karnazes was hanging out with Bart Yasso at the starting line. Bart introduced us (again... I met Dean previously on his 50 states tour) and Dean graciously agreed to pose for photos with us. I also ran into the Altra Zero Drop crew again. I seriously love those guys!

 

Dean and I

 

Altra Zero Drop crazies

 

All too soon it was time to line up. I decided I just wanted to stay under 30 minutes and then we were off. The first mile I was right on target with a 9:30-ish. The second mile I started to warm up and my legs began to pick it up of their own accord. I saw low-8's on my Garmin and made a conscious effort to pull it back. I knew that attacking the hills of Bethlehem at near-PR pace would really hurt later! Third mile was in the low-9's and then I just kicked it into the finish. My official time was 27:49. I still remember not too long ago when that would have been a PR and now it's just a steady state-type run!

 

5k done! One down, two to go!

 

After I finished I wandered around a bit to stay warm until the 10k began. I watched some runners finish and then I checked my medal into my bag and headed for the 10k corrals. Once again I put myself farther back than I really wanted to in an attempt to be conservative. I have NEVER run a 10k before! They just aren't a popular distance around here I guess. So I wanted to race but I also didn't want to ruin my experience for the half marathon in the morning. I settled on aiming for just under an hour finish.

 

The gun went off and we all shuffled forward. Soon enough I was running side by side with Amanda of Run To The Finish and we settled into a 9:30-ish pace. For the first half we ran and chatted and stayed conservative. In the second half my legs once again decided they didn't want any part of easy or conservative and sped up. It was probably a good thing because I came across the line in exactly 59:30! Exactly where I wanted to be!

 

Two races down, One to go!

 

I went to gear check and picked up my bag and jacket before I walked back to the finish shoot to cheer in my friends. As I cheered in runners I looked up and just happened to see Kelly of Slipping Slowly Into Pain! Some of you might know him better as Lace_up on the Runner's World forums. We've been talking about meeting up forever and it just never happened so I was beyond thrilled to see him not 15 feet away. I ran around the fences and to the other side of the chute to say hello. It turns out his wife, Jo, was also running so I had the pleasure of meeting them both!

 

Jo, Kelly, and I

 

After we parted ways I went back to the hotel and showered and changed before heading back to the expo to enjoy the festival. The first thing I did was get the rest of my books signed, of course! I was able to get Bart Yasso, Mark Remy, and Matt Long to sign my copies of their works.

 

Mark Remy made me a little runner drawing!

 

Bart Yasso rounded out the autographs in my Big Book of Marathon Training

 

Look at how thrilled I was that Matt Long signed my book!

Matt and I

 

After getting all of the autographs I've ever dreamed of, Katie and I headed off to the Run Chat Tweet Up. If you don't know what Run Chat is then you need to get on Twitter (if you're not already there!) and start using the hashtag #runchat every second and fourth Sunday of the month to talk shop with a huge community of runners! After the tweet up I got to spend some time chatting with Scott and Dave, the creators of Run Chat. Super nice guys and pretty awesome runners as well!

 

Scott (@iRunnerBlog), Me (@runbanshee), Dave (@RunningBecause)

 

My Jeep now sports a #runchat sticker

 

I wandered back to the expo just in time to see Shalane again. We goofed off with the Runner's World cover photos for a bit before I became too hungry to hang out any longer.

 

 

I cracked up for this one!

 

Katie and I decided that meat and beer was on the menu so we headed to a restaurant for wings, mozzarella sticks, spring rolls, chicken tenders, queso and this:

 

Yum!

 

After a little bit of down time at the hotel we had one more appointment for fun and games. A pasta dinner was served in the ArtsQuest building and I ate with Golden Harper of Altra Zero Drop and had the chance to ask him lots of questions, both running/shoe related and otherwise. Once again I was amazed by the knowledge and desire to educate all of the Altra team exudes.

 

SteelStacks at Bethlehem

 

The nightcap was a speech by Matt Long about his accident, recovery, and what he's been up to since his book was published. Katie and I grabbed a beer and settled in for an amazing presentation. It was extremely hard to keep our eyes open after such a long and exciting day but it was worth it nonetheless!

 

Matt Long

 

Two races down, one to go!

Runner's World Festival

Today marked day 2 (find day 1 here) of the Runner's World festival for the bloggers covering this FIRST TIME event. I still am blown away that Runner's World has never had its own race before! For an inaugural event I have to say they are knocking it out of the park!

Today started with an easy shake out run with Bart Yasso in our new Altra Zero Drop shoes. We did roughly 3.8 miles and covered a little of the 5k, 10k, and half marathon courses that I'll be running this weekend. I took advantage of the presence of Craig and Golden from Altra to talk shop. I think we ran through all of the ultras on my bucket list plus ones I'd never even heard of! The Altra guys aren't just shoe geeks, they are full on hardcore running freaks! I think I might be in love! (Shhhh!)

After our rainy-but-fun run

 

After the run we were treated to some dry clothes from Free Motion apparel. I ended up wearing the jacket all day! It is absolutely incredible with soft material, attractive styling and thumb holes! I would seriously cut thumb holes in all of my clothing if I wasn't afraid of screwing up my favorite pieces. We also were able to enjoy another delicious (and healthy) breakfast. I haven't eaten this well since I became a mom! I think I might be a little spoiled by the end of this weekend.

 

Free Motion gear

 

Fruit, bagels, coffe, and water... YUM!

 

Once our body temperature returned to something resembling normal again we were once again hanging with the Altra crew. This time Golden Harper gave us some tips on running form and helped us figure out what we were doing wrong. We had a question and answer session on the Altra shoes and why zero drop (not necessarily minimalist) is helpful to runners who want to perfect their form. It was all really interesting and I can't wait to work on my posture so Golden won't have anything to pick on next time I run into him!

 

Altra form clinic

 

Working on our form barefoot

 

Watching the video of my form

 

After we finished dissecting our form we moved onto a seminar with ICON and their new iFit app. We learned a lot about what they are planning to introduce and the capabilities of their products. I just downloaded my copy of the iFit app so you'll have to give me a few days to really figure it out. All I can say for sure is that it has the potential to be one of the best apps for fitness freaks ever invented!

 

iFit seminar

 

After the iFit Q&A session the blogger group was taken to another building in the ArtQuest complex. Surprise, surprise! Shalane Flanagan was waiting to answer our questions and personally greet each one of us. She was extremely down to earth and honest and even a little shy. Shalane has a habit of twisting her hair as she talks that just reminds you how human the 'Assassin in compression socks' actually is. I got some great video of her answers to several questions and I can't wait to share them as soon as I get them uploaded!

 

Shalane and I. I look like an amazon next to her!

 

I got her autograph!

 

Shalane and the media group

 

After Shalane had graciously signed autographs for everyone in the media group and answered all of our questions two big names in Runner's World joined us. Jen Van Allen, co-author of the Big Book of Marathon and Half Marathon Training, and Megan, the Social Media genius behind RW's Twitter page, answered our questions and talked about Runner's World's first race and how they choose stories and articles. It was all really interesting and lots of fun to talk about the stories that struck a chord with us and ask more about them. Then it was time for my favorite part of the day! Lunch!

 

After lunch at the hotel (turkey wrap, pasta salad, salad, water, and cookies) it was time to go back to the expo to get our shopping on! I can say one thing for the FitFluential crew... We can sure clean out a running expo! I came back with a new stick, two more books, three shirts, a hat, and a running skirt!

 

I should have brought another bag to get this all home!

 

I also had the insanely good luck of getting two of my three books autographed. Jen Van Allen, Amby Burfoot, and David Willey all wrote kind words of inspiration inside the covers of their respective works. I haven't even read the books yet but they're already my new favorites!

 

 

Before we left the expo for dinner, I had the opportunity to get my picture taken for the cover of Runner's World. Well, not for real but I can pretend. Actually once you see the photo you'll see that I suck at pretending. My fake run looks more like I'm about to knock someone out. Maybe I should take up boxing?

 

Why is this arrown pointing at everyone's crotch?!

 

After my brush with fame we headed out to the Bethlehem Brew Works for dinner and socializing. I had fish tacos and a pumpkin ale. Both were amazing but the food didn't survive long enough to get it's picture taken. Twenty-six hungry runners don't take long to demolish good grub! It was delicious and I would highly recommend it if you're ever on this side of PA.

 

Carb Loading

 

Now I must try to sleep because tomorrow begins the true craziness! 5k and 10k in the morning and then a half marathon on Sunday! Bring on the Hat Trick!