Running with Attitude turned three over the weekend! 
I continue to marvel at all that running has brought into my life and it’s been great fun to share and connect with so many wonderful runners!
So very happy to be a part of this great running community!
Cheers to you all for being a part of this journey!
Recently this showed up on my doorstep
The folks at Designer Whey sent me a crazy array of their products to try! I was expecting to receive just one of their protein powders – instead they sent protein bars, ready-made shakes and Protein 2Go drink mix, in addition to two protein powders.
I’ve mentioned here before that one of my goals for 2013 is to get a better handle on my nutrition. And now that I’m finally feeling like I’ve got a handle on my fueling during a run, I’ve started to turn my attention to what I’m eating during recovery. So getting to try out these products came at a great time for me.
Over the past couple of weeks I’ve had a chance to try everything — and the verdict….love them!
I immediately started with the protein powders – 18g of protein, only 100 calories and naturally sweetened with Stevia. I received both French Vanilla and White Chocolate – they both had good flavor, but the White Chocolate became an instant fave! I was initially concerned it might be too sweet, but it had a yummy creaminess that worked well with my usual smoothie add-ins (unsweetened almond milk, chia seeds, almond butter and frozen strawberries, bananas and cherries) without being overpowering. It has quickly become a favorite post-workout recovery drink.
My husband J got in on the act sampling the protein bars. We had three flavors to try: Peanut Butter Crunch, Triple Chocolate Crunch and Chocolate Caramel Crunch. Quite simply these bars are so good! They’re 160 – 170 calories with 10g of protein and other vitamins. Designer Whey packs a lot into these bars including a lot of flavor!
My favorite was the peanut
butter, while J really liked the triple chocolate – he said it tasted “like a real chocolate bar not at all waxy.”
The last item I received was the Protein 2Go. Designer Whey sent all three of their flavors: Lemonade, Mixed Berry and Tropical Orange. You just pour one of the packets into about 12 – 16 oz of water and shake. I thought these mixes offered a nice refreshing drink with the added benefit of 10g of protein plus B-Vitamins and Vitamin C. I really like these have no artificial sweeteners or flavors, and the packets are easy to carry with you anywhere. I think these will be particularly good in the summer months served ice cold!
A big thanks to the folks at Designer Whey – I’m happy to have discovered their products as they’ll now be a part of my recovery nutrition strategy.
What’s your go to recovery foods/drinks?
I received these products as a FitFluential Ambassador. All of the opinions expressed here, as always, are my own.
This Thursday’s randomness comes in my post-track workout induced haze….
1. There needs to be some basic rules posted at our track — Why would you, as a walker, continue to walk in the same lanes you see people are running in? I can see maybe being clueless the first time round but after you’ve been passed – move over! (And to make matters worse there were 2 of them walking together)
2. My next rule for the track is no perfume. One of the same walkers was doused in perfume – each time I ran by her it was like dodging the perfume counters in a department store.
3. And now completely unrelated….told you this would be random…I got an email this morning announcing that the half I’m running next month Boston’s Run to Remember has sold out and they are looking for more race volunteers. This race is run in honor of fallen police officers and after recent events, registration skyrocketed. This will be the first major race run on the streets of Boston since the Marathon – so if you are going to be in the Boston area Memorial Day Weekend, and want to be part of what should be an incredible day, please consider volunteering. You can check out the race website HERE.
So do you have any rules for the track?
Well I’ve reached week 11 in my training plan and it’s once again a race week! This time I’ll be toeing the line at the Newport 10 Miler Sunday – still not sure of what my race goals yet – last week was a mixed bag including really solid intervals at the track one day followed by a craptastic long run the next. Going to wait and see what this week serves up then check in with Coach Bennett on Friday.
On the schedule for this week:
Monday — 6 miles with a negative split on the back 3
Tuesday — Cross-training
Wednesday — 5 mile Fartlek
Thursday — Track work: 300 meter repeats & Yoga class
Friday & Saturday — Rest days
Scheduling snafus galore forced me to have to swap Monday & Tuesday’s workouts so I’m off for a rainy 6 now. Running 3 days in a row is usually something I avoid, but mentally I know I’ll beat myself up if I cut back on my mileage too much. I’ll see how it goes…
What an incredible week it’s been here in the Boston area and now thanks to the amazing work of law enforcement it’s over. Yes, the investigations will continue, but for now people can breathe easier knowing that those behind the attacks on Monday can no longer cause more harm.
We can focus on healing, remembering those lost and continuing to help those most greatly impacted by the attack.
I sit here on a quiet Sunday afternoon feeling very grateful – for those incredible people who worked tirelessly so the City of Boston can now breathe a little easier…
for family….
for friends… for the normalcy a routine brings….for the promise of the week ahead.
Here’s hoping we all have a peaceful week!
Happy Running!
I’ve started this post several times…trying to find the right words…but I don’t know what those words should be.
I’m heartbroken…
I’m pissed off…
This was a day meant for celebration…a day for dreams realized…for memories made to last a lifetime. And it was such a day until 2:50 p.m.
I had expected to be writing today about the amazing experience that is volunteering at the Boston Marathon. Instead I’m left thinking about all of those runners I greeted as they got off the buses in Hopkinton, united in the common goal to run the granddaddy of all races – this day was to be their moment – and now they are forever united for a very different reason.
I selfishly think of my own family who stood on Boylston Street and sat in those grandstands on Sunday to cheer me in the B.A.A. 5k as I crossed that famous finish line. I look at my own sweet boys and cannot imagine that an 8 year old was among the victims. I’m sick to my stomach and….I’m royally pissed off that some low-life pathetic coward(s) would choose to do this to innocent people in the name of some cause?! There are no words.
And yet there are so many questions and so many emotions – more than I can sort through right now. For now I will be grateful that friends and family are safe, that I can hug my boys and that I can run.
I will run today for those who can’t,
I will run today to find some peace in this chaos,
I will run today for Boston.
(Thanks to Jess for the image)
ZOOMA Cape Cod will once again be held in September in Falmouth — I love the Cape in the fall and am very psyched to be a race ambassador again. So grab your BRFs and join me for a great girls’ getaway race weekend. Use code CCAMB2 to save 10% off the registration fee for the half marathon or the 10K. My friend E and I had a great time last year – can’t wait to go back!
These lovelies showed up at my door recently. The great folks at Newton Running contacted me a couple of weeks ago to invite me to attend one of their Natural Form Running Clinics being held during Marathon Weekend. I was invited to attend one of their clinics last year as well – you can read about it HERE. While I couldn’t work my schedule out to go this time around, I was sent this pair of Distance Neutral Performance Trainers to try out! I may take them out on the track today – full review to come.If you’re in the Boston area on Friday or Saturday, head to the Charles River at the corner of Memorial Drive and Massachusetts Ave and look for the green Newton Running tent. Clinics begin at 8 a.m
Week 8 of half marathon training was another solid week — the runs felt good, I felt strong on the hills and my ITB is under control. The one downside of the week was missing my weekly yoga class. I haven’t been able to get to this class with any consistency lately because the collective family schedules have been all over the place! We’re facing another busy week in the RWA household with lots of fun stuff going on, but I’m determined to get back to that class this week.
Training for Week 9 includes:
Monday – 6 miles (with negative split on the back 3)
Tuesday – Cross-training
Wednesday – 4 mile Fartlek
Thursday – 1000 meter repeats & Yoga
Friday – Rest
Saturday – Shakeout Run with Bart Yasso
Sunday – BAA 5K
Yes – did you catch that? A run with Bart Yasso! Last week, I was invited by Runner’s World to join a group run with Bart Yasso as part of all the great activities Runner’s World has going on during Marathon weekend. Very excited – hope I can keep up with him 🙂
What have you got planned for this week?
Back at the end of February, I mentioned (HERE) that I wasn’t loving the way I was feeling on my runs and that it was time to take a much closer look at what I’m eating – both on run and rest days. So for the past couple of weeks I’ve been running my own little pre-fueling/fueling test lab, experimenting with different options on my long run days.
Here’s some of what I’ve learned so far:
I recently discovered Huma Gels and so far this is a win as a fueling option – no stomach issues, they’re all natural, they taste good and my energy levels were good – win!I’m feeling pretty good where I am so far – especially since I still have weeks to go before my next half marathon at the end of May.
So tell me – how often do you fuel on a long run? What’s your favorite fueling option?
*The opinions expressed here are from my own experience. I am in no way affiliated with the products mentioned.
If you’ve been around here for a while then you’ve heard me sing the praises of my running coach Bennett Cohen. With Bennett’s guidance I have gotten “comfortable with being uncomfortable,” become a better runner, and hit some PRs, all while keeping my sometimes cranky ITB from becoming downright uncooperative.
When Bennett told me that he was putting together an eBook titled “Injury-free Running for Women over 40” (did I mention that he specializes in coaching “boomers”) I was happy to sign on as an affiliate and spread the word. I knew the advice – it has worked for me.
So I wanted to give him a quick shout-out and mention that the introductory price special he’s been running ends on Thursday, April 4th. You can check it out HERE or click on the book image on my sidebar.
