Asics DS Trainer is Back!

 

It looks like Asics is back on my list of faves.  Just got a sweet pair of DS Trainers and I couldn’t wait to get them on my feet.  Two workouts in less than 24 hours with these babies and I couldn’t be happier.  The fit and feel is superior.  I tried to compare this with an old pair of DS Trainers, which I loved and the only thing different I noticed was the forefoot was missing that “squishy” feel (not exactly a bad thing, just different) and the heel collar was a tad too high, but adding a pair of

Powersteps fixed that problem.  I know some people prefer a higher heel collar and for others it may drive them insane, but asking your favorite iRun staff member how to make adjustments can really change the dynamics of a good shoe.  So here’s my review on this shoe thus far, lightweight and mild stability for that in between a neutral and stability runner.  Soft and springy feel on the forefoot, and a seamless mesh allows for a flexible and comfortable toe box.  Although high in the collar which went away once I added an orthotic, the narrow heel counter (which I love) makes this an almost perfect fit.  Very happy runner this morning, plus I love the color way on this shoe considering the bright pink goes against everything I stand for.  Maybe I’m becoming more open minded these days, who knows. 

Last night’s post workout meal was random, nutritious and delicious.  I forgot I still had a box of Quinoa, and I needed to finish the last of my Kale, so it all worked out, no food left behind in Ericka’s kitchen. 

Randomness #2

Baked Chicken, con Kale and Quinoa

    1.    Boneless, skinless  (of course) chicken breast or tenders

    2.     1 cup of Quinoa.  Make Quinoa as directed on package.

    3.     2 – 3 handfuls of washed Kale.

Directions:  Season chicken to taste or a light seasoning packet ( I use these $1.00 packets from HEB and mix with either fresh lemon juice, orange juice, olive oil or sometimes a white wine).  I don’t use butters, lard, extra salt or vegetable oils.  Bake chicken at 400-425 temperature for 20-30 minutes.  Next, cook your Quinoa as directed.  If you feel the need to be lazy, throw a steamer basket on top of the Quinoa as its cooking and steam your Kale in the basket at the same time.  Once chicken is done, drizzle extra juices over Kale and Quinoa for added taste.  Bon Appetite!

***Note:  I’m not a Registered Dietician, or Nutritionist.  Recipes will not include nutritional content or total calories, because some of it’s pretty obvious.  I just like to EAT. 

 

iRunning Mama

Here Comes the Heat!

In case you haven’t been outside lately you may not have noticed it’s starting to heat up again.  The mornings are still nice and cool but by the afternoon, temperatures are reaching the mid to high 90’s and if you’re like me and probably starting to realize it’s time to bring out that water bottle again.  I’ll admit I hate to carry any type of hydration system, I can be extremely stubborn during the colder months and refuse to bring water.  However, as it starts to heat up and the humidity

becomes unbearably dehydrating, even I play it smart.  As a coach you’ll hear me say “do as I say not as I do” , yep…..I’m that gal.  I’m not perfect, and I’m as stubborn as the next person, but even I know that in Texas there is no way around proper hydration.  I’ve found the most comfortable handheld that works for me and also carries my phone is the Nathan Quick Draw.  The only annoying thing is I can only carry it in my right hand; it’s too awkward in my left hand for some reason.  A couple other things I include to improve my electrolyte balance is Nuun.  If you don’t currently use Nuun, I highly suggest giving it a try.  Great product to throw into your everyday water consumption with added benefits of sodium, potassium, magnesium, calcium and vitamin C.  Regardless, I just like it because I can liven up my water with a light, sugar free, zero calorie burst of flavor.  My favorite is the lemon lime but I always forget that it is slightly carbonated (all Nuun is!). I have to be careful because I'll be in that zone, running like the wind, and pull the top of my water bottle open with me teeth and immediately get that fizzy shot in the face. Think of an seltzer tab, you gotta give it a little ventilation!  This can sometimes not only be embarrassing, but also very wasteful.  Then there’s

another electrolyte in a capsule form from Hammer called Endurolyte Extreme.  Similar product as the regular Hammer Endurolytes but higher percentages of potassium and sodium as well as an added ginger root which if you’re not familiar is used as an anti-inflammatory and also helps soothe your stomach.  Basically, to my understanding its made specifically for extremely hot weather events.  For sure I’ll be including it in my summer workouts, mainly for my long runs lasting over an hour or two.  So I guess now that I’m comfortable with my daily routine, I feel confident it's time I pick a race to train for.  With that being said, it’s time I start really thinking about all training details regarding my nutrition, hydration, footwear, etc.  Although I eat fairly healthy, there’s definitely room for improvement.  Maybe I’ll even start sharing some recipes.  Recipes from Ericka’s Kitchen, these are what I like to call my “Quick and Easy Random Recipes”. 

This past Sunday I completed a nice hilly 8 miler which was the perfect time for me to think about my new plan.  Most importantly what gets me excited is the fact that my sweetie is a teacher and has the summers off, which means he’s on baby watch and I can start getting up early again  for 5:00am workouts with our License for Distance training class…..yay!  Sounds crazy, but I’m soooo ready to wake up early and sweat like hell.  I look forward to my summer marathon training. 

Randomness #1

Kale and Potato Tacos
1.       Corn tortillas
2.       Kale
3.       Potatoes (gold or red potatoes)
4.       Cheese (optional)
5.       Olive Oil ( 1 tablespoon)

Super simple to make.  Cut potatoes fairly thin and pan fry in tablespoon olive oil (can substitute with 1.4 cup water if you don’t have olive oil), season potatoes to taste .  Once potatoes are soft, throw 2 handfuls of washed Kale over potatoes to steam, cover with top.  Heat tortillas in Microwave or on a separate pan.  I don’t like my Kale overly cooked, so I remove after about 2 minutes in the pan.  Add Kale, potatoes and Cheese to corn tortilla and enjoy.  You can include a side of black beans or brown rice to top it off. 

***Note:  I’m not a Registered Dietician, or Nutritionist.  Recipes will not include nutritional content or total calories, cause some of it’s pretty obvious.  I just like to EAT. 

 

Race Director Notes: Lone Star Half Marathon and 5K

Well I think it’s been a couple of weeks since my last blog post, sorry I’ve been a little preoccupied.  My latest project at work took a lot out of me, but the end result was well worth it.  There has been a lot of anticipation for the inaugural Lone Star Half Marathon and the numbers continued to increase up until the start of the race.  I’m happy to say we had around 1100 runners register for this first year event and 885 runners that actually showed up to race on Saturday morning.  Myself along with our Split Second and iRun crew had a long weekend, setting up in Luckenbach, with lots of details to put in place for packet pickup, water stops, vendor and sponsor set up, iRun Expo, pooper locations, food,  ice, etc., etc., etc.  We met some amazing people in Luckenbach that took care of us and really live and breathe what Luckenbach Texas is all about.  I have to send a shout out to my new friends in Luckenbach, Terry, Virgil, Abbey, Hayden, and everyone else that helped us this past weekend and let us take over the town. 

Race morning for our crew began at 4:00am, finish line set up, tents, packet pick up and more. Again good old Javi was up and rolling before everyone else.   Amazing volunteers showed up to help early in the morning, which was awesome.  It’s a wonderful thing to have people take time out of their day to volunteer and help support the runners.  Most races we wait and pray that our volunteers show up, this is probably the most stressful part of my week.    Will we have volunteers???  Thankfully we have amazing Team members, staff, family and friends of iRun and of course Team in Training that came out and took care of everything.  Sponsors and vendors began setting up by 7:00am and everything else started falling into place.  Last minute registration and packet pickup makes for a few long lines, but everyone was ready to go by 8:00am.  A few quick announcements and national anthem was sung by the lovely Carol Healey, and the runners took off on a gorgeous morning.  Weather couldn’t have been any better, which is rare, as I tend to bring crumby weather to our races. 

The first 5K finisher comes strolling in around 8:20am, and the rest follow.  Although we had a 5hour time limit on this course, everyone finished by 12:00pm.  We knew this was going to be a challenging course, but hopefully everyone enjoyed the quiet Hill Country roads and scenery.  I’m sure the cows enjoyed seeing some action for once.  At 1hr and 19 minutes the first half marathoner came cruising by the finish line.  Great time for this course. If you didn’t stick around for the awards and after party you really missed out.  Luckenbach is the epitome of what Texas is all about.  First and foremost there was Lone Star Beer, the National Beer of Texas along with a few Lone Star beer models.  There was a true Texas Longhorn, Texas BBQ, Hill Country wine from Messina Hof , a local general store, and then there was music from Dale Watson.  True Texas Country music and favorite in Luckenbach it was an honor to have Dale and his band join us bright and early in the morning.  Runners finished their race and hopefully had a chance to recover with post race massages from our amazing Dr. Patrick Doyle from Hill Country Spine and Sport.  Thank god for Dr. Doyle, what a lifesaver!!  I don’t want to forget about our race sponsors that provided the wonderful nutrition and hydration on the course, along with the fabulous running apparel from Asics, Superfeet, Nuun, Huma Chia Energy Gels, and Fuelbelt.  Our runners were extremely lucky to have this product on the course. 

 At the end of the day, only a few minor hiccups but overall a very successful race.  We enjoyed a cold Lone Star before we all said goodbye and road off into the sunset.  Another race down and three more to go.  Next big race is the Texas Too Hot and believe you me, it is TOO HOT! 

 
 

Feeling Inspired

                I’ve been hanging onto my Mizuno Rider's, just waiting for the right time to test them out.   So I gave myself time this week to set aside for a little Mizuno action.  You know sometimes you need to feel inspired to keep you going, and I am no exception.  It just so happened after watching Mizuno’s campaign video “What if Everybody Ran”, immediately I had to throw on my shoes and head out the door.  When I’m feeling a little overwhelmed or bummed I like to watch a good movie.   I think I’ve seen Spirit of the Marathon, Without Limits and Rudy at least 10 times each.  Actually I watch Rudy at least twice a year and that’s been twice a year since it came out on VHS back in the early 90’s.   If you have to ask or Google what a VHS is, your too young to be reading this.  Also, if you haven’t seen the Mizuno ad, take the next 2 minutes to preview it at, http://www.mizunousa.com/running, hopefully it puts a smile on your face. 

 

      So, the very, very first pair of running shoes I was fitted for and bought at a running store was a pair of Mizuno Creations.  As soon as I tried them on and walked out the door I could not wait to get home and go for a run.  They made me so happy, I wore them into the ground.  I think that’s what ended up motivating me to run my first half marathon.  Anyways, this week I tried something new  with the Wave Rider 17’s.  I was a little nervous taking them out for a run since the first thing I noticed was a crease on top of the foot that was a bit annoying.  Thankfully this went away the more I walked around and broke it in.  It certainly felt like it had a tone of space in the toe box, seamless upper, so no irritating overlays and stitching to worry about.  I think it actually felt a little too roomy in the toe box, at least for my foot.  That might be why I felt the crease at the top, but for someone needing that extra room the Wave Rider is something to consider.  The overall ride in this shoe has seemed a bit flat and clunky, you won’t get that same toe-off action you do in something like the Wave Creation, but that’s not good or bad, it’s just not my preference.  The weight of the shoe is light, I think it’s around 7.8oz for a women’s shoe, along with a nice cushy ride.  Overall, the Rider gets a B minus in my grade book.  I think it’s a great shoe, just not for my feet.  I’ll give it another go around, I could be completely wrong about my initial clinical reaction.  Besides, I'm still feeling inspired and Mizuno's are what got me to the start line in the first place.  Maybe, it's time I start planning to train for another marathon. 

iRunning Mama

Race Director Notes: St. Paddy's Shamrock Shuffle

Sunday, March 16th

4:15 am:  Alarm wakes me up, hit snooze.  Five minutes later 2nd alarm goes off and I remember why my alarms going off soooo damn early, I've gotta race this morning that I have to be at, so I check my weather app on my phone to see what type of mess I'll be working in this morning.  Weather app says, 60 with wind and rain.  WTF, that's not what I had in mind for race morning.  I get up to make my usual morning black coffee, no sugar and let my dogs out the back door.  I notice, there's no rain just yet, but for sure it's gonna be windy.  Grab all my gear, phone, bag, laptop, extra clothes, hat and coffee to go.  I am on a mission to be the first to arrive at the office.   I have to beat Javier, the early to rise Split Second crew member that's been "Employee of the Year"  2 years running!  So, I get over to McAllister Park at 5:25 am and I most definitely am the first to arrive, the park is extremely dark and creepy.  I realized next time, I don't want to be the first to arrive anywhere that early, I had to wait around for about 5 minutes or so for the next person to show up.  That's 5 minutes too long in my book.  Thankfully, I wasn't there too long by myself.  Javier showed up and all was well.   Soon after, Mitch finally decides to show up but without ICE, and what are we gonna do without ICE?  We have cases of Shiner Beer for our runners that deserve a nice cold beer after they race.  Not to mention, just as Mitch arrives the rain comes, that's when my mouth becomes uncontrollable and spewing out every unlady like word I know.  I'll let you take a guess at what I said.


6:00am: the rest of our crew shows up and the day begins.  My volunteer coordinator, race timers and set up crew get started before the sun rises.  We set up the water stops, arch and race day registration.  Soon after our volunteers start to trickle in, although not quite awake, they wait for their assignments....thank you to the crew from Any Body Can, awesome volunteers that are ready to help whenever and wherever.  Check out the chicken, can you guess who that might be from Any Body Can?

We had a great turnout in the morning with everyone that came out to race and last minute registration, which ended up being more than expected. Let me just say one thing about registering at the last minute.....when you don't register early, it makes it extremely difficult to plan for things like t-shirts and food, Portolets, etc.  One of the most frustrating details when planning a race is determining how many t-shirts to order. We pull our hair out every time!  Anyways, just thought I'd vent a little.  Moving on, I couldn't ask for better sponsors that participated and provided resources like bagels, bread, massages, physical therapy assistance and more, you make our events fun and unique.  With that being said, I have to give mad props to San Antonio Center for Physical Therapy, Camp Gladiator, Hill Country Spine and Sport, Bagel Factory, Great Harvest Bread Company, Shiner Beers, Saucony and Ozarka.

8:00am:  Precisely at 8:00am, the 1K takes off and I was no where in sight.  Some last minute registration issues arise and I didn't even realize what time it was.  No pictures of the 1K kiddos in their St. Paddy's green, sorry. As the morning goes on runners start lining up, our lovely Carol Healey sings the national anthem and some last minute announcements begin.  I'm so glad we hired Mark Purnell to announce at our events, if not we'd have to listen to Mitch sing and tell bad jokes.  I don't think I can handle that all morning. 


  8:30 am:  The race starts, right on time.  Runners are off, everyone looks happy, our crew looks surprisingly calm. I think this is the first time everything happened according to plan.  This makes me start to panic, what are we missing, what did we forget?   As soon as all the runners cross that start line, a huge weight is lifted off my shoulders and I can breath a little bit.  I have to say though, I do miss being on the other side, when I was just a runner. Now, I have to worry about everybody else finishing safely, getting lost, D-tags not working, etc.   So many things that could possibly go wrong.  Luckily, all went well and I remember why I love my job.  I  love seeing the nervousness at the start line, the over the top creative costumes people run in, the families that get up early and run together and the excitement of finishing a race for the first time or the 100th time.  The running community is a small and unique group of individuals of all ages, backgrounds, and abilities. Some compete against themselves and others compete to win.  Regardless of the reason, runners are great supporters of one another and I love being a part of this sport.  Great job everyone that ran the Shamrock Shuffle.  Hope you all enjoyed the course and had a good time.  Thank you to our sponsors, volunteers, iRun staff, Split Second Crew and the iRun Team. 


 iRunning Mama

So Much to Do, So Little Time

First and foremost, I apologize for any spelling and grammatical errors you may find on my blog.  I write what's on my mind and forget about the minor insignificant details like grammar. I've got more important things to worry about.  Hope you still enjoy reading :)

So I'll just start with this being crazy week #1.  Have I mentioned my job includes promotions,

events, and race directing.  On top of all this I still tried to fit in a few workouts this week if not for anything else but at least for my sanity.  The beginning of the week included a trip to Luckenbach to finalize a few things for the Lone Star Half, then packet pickup and some last minute details for the Shamrock Shuffle and our annual St. Paddy's Social Run. On top of all this going on, the shoe fairy stopped by and dropped off a pair of the new Adidas Adistar Energy Boost to try.  So of course I had to take these out a few times around the block.  Actually, I ended up on a different route with my daughter and her lovely stroller, which took me through a ridiculously hilly neighborhood.  I decided it was time to stop being afraid of this course, since I'm getting a little bored with our usual route.  Anyways back to my shoes, again as with the SuperNova Glide, these are a little more feel the road then I prefer especially for a long run but this shoe does feel amazing on my feet. I know this is considered a high mileage shoe, but again not my cup

of tea for a long run.  The seamless upper is super soft and fits like a glove thanks to their techfit technology.  I think for someone that likes a more form fitting snug fit throughout the entire shoe, you will love it as much as I do.  The Energy Boost has that springy Boost cushioning, so it extremely responsive and of course lightweight.  Next, I do have to mention, I love the all blue colorway on this shoe, not that color should matter, but it just so happens blue is my favorite color.  Now, one thing I've not had a chance to test in the Adidas and by know means does it really bother me, but the outsole is supposed to offer superior traction in most terrains and wet conditions with it's Continental rubber outsole. I don't usually like to get caught in the rain, but I've found myself hoping that's the case just so I can see how good this Continental rubber really is.... Overall, I really do like this shoe and plan on rotating it for shorter workouts, tempo runs, speed work and probably track workouts.  Well....okay, I'm lying, I can't say I've done a track workout in quite a while, they scare me.  I should probably take our License for Speed Class with Coach Lauren to help me get over my fear.   

Last, but not least  I  wanted to include a  quick recap of our St. Paddy's Social Run with Saucony and

Polar.  Thanks again to our awesome reps Peter from Saucony and Sarah with Polar.  We love being able to demo products at our events, it really gives our runners a chance to see what's available and if it's a good fit for their training.  If you came out to this run, your selfie was probably posted on Facebook.  We had a little fun with our Saucony photo frame and a few St. Paddy's

accessories.  On top of all that fun, I added in a little workout of my own.  I had to check out the Saucony Triumphs again, since it's been like, four years since I've run in a pair.  Not the same shoe it used be, so I think its hard for me to fall back in love with this shoe.  I did like the wider toe box, and mesh on the upper, as it provides plenty of room for my toes to splay, and I don't remember it feeling like that previously.  The PowerGrid cushioning, seemed a little firm to me, but a good lightweight neutral option.  I believe the women's shoe weighs in at 9.3oz for a size 8, although I am no size 8, more like a size 10.5, so you do the math........it still feels fairly lightweight though.  Overall, not a bad shoe if you need the width and like a firmer ride, I think you'd feel fine doing a lot of mileage in this shoe. 

Next, look for my Race Director Notes on the St. Paddy's Shamrock Shuffle, later this week. 

iRunning Mama

Bra's and Breakfast Recap

(Thank you to our Models, you are all Beautiful!)

 

        If you didn't get a chance to experience our 2nd Bra's and Breakfast (also known as Breakfast and Boobs) you really missed out on something special. Our Moving Comfort line can do wonders for your health.  No, really....wonders.  From a health and wellness perspective, when you look good, you feel good.  That's not just related to your weight but the confidence you feel when you put on a piece of clothing that makes you feel empowered. For women, that can be as simple as a sports bra or a pair of capri pants.  One of things I've experienced in my life as many of us have, is the fluctuation of my weight including my boobs. It can be extremely uncomfortable and discouraging when your trying to improve yourself but feel inadequate in something that you wear.  What I love is how Moving Comfort caters to all women of varying heights, weights, shapes and sizes, depending on the type of support and fit you are looking for.  That's why we designed our Fashion Show to model some of those different shapes and sizes.

      So, if your curious about my experience in Moving Comfort, I do own three of our best selling sports bra's the Fiona, Juno and the Rebound Racer. I do find myself washing and rewashing two of my favorites over and over and over.  I prefer wearing the Fiona on a daily basis as part of my everyday work attire.  Thankfully, iRun's business casual means iRun T's every day of the week and some comfy capri pants or shorts. The Rebound Racer is my all time favorite workout bra.  Supper comfortable, soft adjustable straps and never chaffes......love, love, love.  It can be a bit tricky to get in and out of, especially when your soaked in sweat but very supportive "No Bounce".  Now, while I was pregnant and breastfeeding, the Juno did extremely well for me.  This bra was made with larger boobs in mind.  With the molded cups it still gives a nice shape, and the adjustable straps allows for moms to wear it comfortably to workout or casually while still breastfeeding.  I would highly recommend this to new mommies. 

    Before I go, I just want to say thank you again to our models and to all of our vendors that participated and joined us for this event.  Promotion Physical Therapy, Origami Owl, Girls on the Run, Team in Training, Palser Chiropractic, Golds Gym and Nothing Bundt Cakes. Thank you to Deb Mock with Moving Comfort for announcing and fitting each and every one of our ladies on Saturday. 

iRunning Mama
www.iruntexas.net