Cheribundi 7-Day Challenge: Recovery With Cherries!

I'll just say that Hood to Coast was amazing so don't worry, you'll be hearing plenty more about it!

While I clearly love things like compression socks, I'm always looking for new ways to help speed recovery and reduce soreness especially during a big training cycle like marathon training.

That's why I was really excited to learn that sour cherries could help with recovery. 

I really like cherries, especially in pie, so I knew you wouldn't have to twist my arm to get me to drink some cherry juice!

Cherry pie is always yummy. 

 Sour or tart cherries are not only delicious, but also happen to be superfruits loaded with nutrients. I learned that they are tart and red because of the amount of anthocyanins inside. The chemistry nerd I am loves learning all the real science behind things like food.  Anthocyanins are also responsible for health-promoting properties such as reducing muscle soreness, easing arthritis pain, and promoting heart health. Cherries also may help in improving sleep due to the melatonin they contain. 

So  sour cherries are pretty much awesome-plus they are loaded with antioxidants!

Disclosure I was given a set of juice and Cheribundi coupons for the duration of the challenge along with two free cases of Cheribundi juice to review on my blog. I received no other compensation for this post. All thoughts and opinions are my own, as always. 

West Coast Bound!

The time has come for HOOD TO COAST! 

Of course I packed last minute and was trying to fit everything into two little bags.

Nuun Hydration teams wild berry energy and lemon-lime energy the night before the race!

#Keepittight with Pro Compression {Review & Discount}

Disclosure: Through a partnership with Fit Approach as a Sweat Pink Ambassador and Pro Compression, I received a complimentary pair of black marathon calf sleeves .All other Pro Compression gear mentioned and pictured was purchased previously by me.  As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own. 

I've become a huge fan of compression gear for recovery and have been using it ever since I trained for my first half marathon.  I usually wear the socks or sleeves for long runs, races, and post-run recovery. After trying a few different styles, the ones I wear the most are Pro Compression, so I was excited to officially review a pair of their Marathon Calf Sleeves.  

 Pro Compression sells calf sleeves, over the calf compression socks, mid socks, low socks, and other active wear.  The true graduated compression in Pro Compression products promotes circulation from your feet and ankles toward your knees while also reducing inflammation and providing stability to muscles and tendons.  The bottom of the sock is tighter than the top to promote this flow.

Thinking Out Loud Thursday 8/14/14

Lots of randomness in my brain today so I was happy to link up for Thinking Out Loud Thursdays. 

1.  HOLY MOLY. Hood to Coast is less than a week away now. I'm not packed, literally ordered my headlamp off Amazon yesterday, and am not feeling ready to run almost 16 miles in 24 hours. Also it's been a few years since I've been on such a long flight, and I've never travelled so far completely alone. However, I'm beyond excited to make a bunch of Nuun friends and see the Pacific Northwest. I also flipped out when I read on the itinerary we'd be touring the new Brooks Headquarters in Seattle! Crossing my fingers for some free shoes...or a job offer-one can dream! And yes I'm still holding out that Kara Goucher drops by.

2. My quads are SO sore today from the November Project workout yesterday. I don't know why but lunges always kill my legs. I didn't foamroll last night either, whoops. 

Good lucking sweaty group of people on Wednesday morning

Teams of 4 split a ladder workout of 500 mountain climbers, 400 squats. 300 lunges, 200 push ups, 150 burpees, and 100 box jumps plus running stairs in between each one. My team only made it past the push ups, but don't worry, it was still a killer workout!

Chuck 12 Race Recap

For the Charles Street 12 Miler this past weekend, I went in a bit unfazed. I am in the thick of marathon training and would have been running a similar mileage anyways. However, I was happy to be running in a race setting as a nice change of pace. I LOVE the blue Under Armour half zip premium this year and even got an extra goodie-a sweet UA backpack for completing the Charm City Run B3 race series. 

I didn't sleep well the night before and had to get up even earlier to get in an extra 4 slow miles to make the total for the day 16 miles, since I skipped my long run last week.  Sarah was meeting me at my apartment so my wonderful boyfriend could wake up to take us to the 7:30 AM start in Towson.  I had been in a rush to just barely get in my 4 extra miles before we left for the race so I didn't grab everything I wanted or do things like double knot my shoelaces (which I found out at mile 3).  I'm so not a morning person. 

"Would You Rather?" Runner's Edition

Yesterday morning as I ate breakfast I read this fun runner's version of "would you rather?" from Ruthie of She's Wicked Healthy and decided to share my answers today!

Also, I emailed the winners of my Delta Labs Green + sample giveaway, and they are displayed on the widget. Thanks everyone for entering! Remember you can always use the code BREATHEBLOG for $5 off any Delta Labs order here. 

The other day Smith of Running with SD Mom posted that she finally took the plunge and signed up for her first marathon after receiving advice from fellow running bloggers-check out here what I told her!

1. Would you rather run a 5k or a marathon?

Tough one, but I'd rather run a 5K. So much time and training goes into a marathon, which is worth it, but 5Ks can be so fun and are less stressful. I can usually convince more friends to run 5Ks with me too!

When I ran the Fiesta 5K for KIND Snacks with Holly

2. Would you rather run a flat race in the heat or a hilly race in the cold?

Is flat and cold an option, haha? I suppose I'd choose hilly race in the cold. Really hot races become uncomfortable and hard really fast, even though I prefer warm weather any other time besides running. 

3. Would you rather get new running shoes or a new running outfit?

New running shoes for sure. This girl loves shoes. 

My current training shoes (Adidas Energy Boost 2)- I love how bright pink they are!

The Road to 26.2-Training Update Week 6 and the Week 7 That Didn't Happen

Hello, August-why are you here so fast?! My summer seems especially busy this year and is flying by. Not cool. A busy schedule is hard to balance with marathon training which can be seen with my solid week 6 and pretty much non-existent week 7 of training. 

ON THE ROAD TO 26.2-WEEKS 6&7 (sort of)

Long run: Week 6 had a long run of 12 miles, and week 7 was supposed to be 15-17 miles.
Week 6 felt great. 12 miles with friends went well with a nice route along the harbor. I took a salted caramel Gu after mile 6 to stick with my marathon fueling plan, but I never felt super sluggish during the run. I was wearing some of my favorite running clothes including my Lululemon speed shorts and Brooks "Run Happy" shirt.  The weather was really mild with this strange unseasonable cool weather we have had the past couple of weeks in the Northeast.

I love Charm City Run!

#SpinSweatSip at Rev Cycle Studio Baltimore

Clearly I've talked about Baltimore's Rev Cycle Studio before and how much their spin classes rock. Sadly after my class package ran out I hadn't been back in months, until I was invited a couple of weeks ago to #SpinSweatSip , a meetup of sorts for some of Baltimore's social influencers.  Thanks to Annie for thinking of me!

The evening started off with us taking a shortened 45-minute REV60 Blast class taught by REV instructor Jami. 

The class is usually 60 minutes and combines 30 minutes of cycling with 30 minutes of interval riding paired with boot camp exercises off the bike for a full body strength & cardio workout!

Before class started you could totally tell we were a bunch of social media people because everybody was on their phones!

Photo from Kate

I had never taken a hybrid cycling class before so it was a unique experience to take REV60 Blast and my first class with the amazing Jami, who plays awesome music and definitely knows the way to motivate you to push yourself to get the most out of the class. 

 I liked the 20 minute cycling portion in the beginning of the class and found it hard to get back in the zone during the 20 minute blast  portion when I jumped off the bike to do strength exercises and then hopped back on for more intervals.  

Nevertheless, I liked getting a full-body workout experience all in one class!