FloYo at Beachfit Baltimore

This past summer I tried FloYo which is a combination of SUP (stand up paddleboarding) and yoga/pilates for the first time in Annapolis with Jessie Benson, the founder and all-around awesome Baltimore fit lady, so I was excited to try a preview of her FloYoFit class at Beachfit Baltimore last week.  

I have taken a couple of Surfset , spinning, PiYo classes and at Beachfit this past spring before I started marathon training and love the friendly new Harbor East boutique gym with it's small class sizes and motivating instructors.
  

FloYo is a full body workout that incorporates yoga poses and a vinyasa flow which included warrior poses, sun salutations, and core work.  

Since the weather is quickly getting colder in Maryland, Jessie decided to bring FloYo inside by using the surfset boards , which are small, portable surfboards on top of a bosu ball-like base. It definitely is a core workout no matter what you are doing because you need to try to keep the board stable plus keep yourself from shaking all over the place.  I definitely was feeling the burn in my abs for most of the class!

5 Friday Favorites: My Favorite Things About Halloween {via gifs!}

I didn't think I would post today, but I'm in the Halloween spirit so I'm linking up with the Friday Five hosted by Courtney, Cynthia, and Mar.  I got in a chilly 10K run this AM and even spotted a few dogs already in costume-SO cute. 

I'm really excited to dress up as Wonder Woman, my spirit animal tonight and to have a few pumpkin beers, some candy, and have fun!

Think of the Possibilities: Mizuno Wave Rider 18 Review

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Mizuno on behalf of Fitfluential. As always all opinions and thoughts are my own!

This summer, I talked about how it was a big deal for me to switch to the Adidas Energy Boost 2 running shoes for marathon training since I had only been running in Brooks shoes for 2 1/2 years. Once you find a brand you like, usually you stick with them.  Also if I'm throwing down some dough for shoes, I don't have a lot of wiggle room to be adventurous in case they don't work out.  

I've always heard great things about Mizuno but just didn't think I was a Mizuno girl. 

Naturally I jumped at the chance to try their new Wave Rider 18 shoes when the Fitfluential opportunity came up because I was intrigued by the brand. In my post-marathon transition stage, it seemed like the perfect time to play around with a new pair of shoes. I could try on being a Mizuno girl for a little bit and see how it feels!

The Wave Rider 18 is a neutral shoe is said to provide a smooth and responsive ride while being a lightweight daily trainer.  They have been on sale since the beginning of the month for the MRP of $119.99.  They come in black/silver (what I received), blue atoll/silver, and white/fuchsia purple color schemes for women. You can check out the men's color schemes here. 

My New Fall Fashion Staples

It's been all about running on the blog lately but now that my marathon training is over, I'm taking some time to talk about other things that make me happy like fashion and beauty. I devour my monthly fashion magazines and love creating outfits so I thought I'd share some fall pieces that are becoming staples of my wardrobe as the weather gets colder.  

Chicago Marathon 2014: The Big Race Recap

My race recap of the Chicago Marathon is going to be long, and I'll probably think of a million details I wanted to mention right after I hit publish (le sigh). 

Since it's been almost two weeks since the race I mostly just have feelings from different parts of the race and my overall happiness with the Chicago Marathon left so this won't be a mile by mile breakdown if that's what you were looking for. 

The morning of the race I was lucky enough to crash at the apartment my friend was staying at on Michigan Avenue RIGHT across from Grant Park and the start line. This was a life saver since I was staying on the edge of the city and would have had a long train ride to the start and was still sick. All of my rest, medicine, and homeopathic immune boosters must have worked some magic because I woke up feeling pretty good Sunday morning.

I wasn't sure how my sinuses would feel once I got running, but the lack of feeling like a congested, sniffly mess like I had been all week was a good sign. 

All my gear laid out-Flat Lauren is ready to race!

Chicago Marathon 2014 Expo: Before the Start Line

I still have so many thoughts about the Chicago Marathon so here's a little pre-race recap. 

If you missed it, read about how I took a walk break last week and Skechers great Breast Cancer Awareness campaign going on this month.  

My last training update discussed how I had gotten sick the week before the marathon. Unfortunately the day I was flying out, a mere 3 days before the race, I started feeling worse. I was tired, worn down, sniffly, and dealing with sinus congestion & headaches. I decided to get the expo out of the way Friday morning (and I sadly felt worse) so I'd have more time to rest later. 

I must say it was one of the most organized and nicest race expos I've ever been to! It also wasn't too crowded Friday morning, and there was plenty of space in between rows of vendors so you weren't constantly being forced to move out of the way for people. 

When you walked in they had a little photo op with the start line and a countdown until the race.  All I kept thinking was I had 44 hours to feel better.

One of the coolest things was how when you walked up to a row of people with your confirmation page you were given a number and directed towards another desk area with those numbers. As I walked up to my desk number, a volunteer said "Lauren? Here's your packet." Pretty cool. 

The only lame thing was that the marathon shirts were just plain gray Nike tech tees that said Bank of America Chicago Marathon on the front in white. Pretty underwhelming, but I suspect it's because Nike wants you to buy all their other pretty marathon merchandise.  

Walk Not Run and Skechers Breast Cancer Awareness

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Skechers. As always all opinions and thoughts are my own!

Seriously THANK YOU to every person on social media who gave me shout outs, commented on my last blog post, and who helped cheer me on before the Chicago Marathon. Reading all those messages from people who believe in me was what powered me through my the race after being sick up until the night before. More on that later but spoiler alert: it was GREAT!

After the marathon, even though I was really pumped and exciting about running more, I took a walk break. 

Yep, I traded my running shoes in for walking shoes this week. 

Staying active and healthy is clearly important to me. I truly believe it makes me a happier and healthier person inside and out.  Especially since my body was fighting an illness all week before the race, and I wanted to stay as healthy as possible afterwards so I could have fun on my trip, I decided to take it extra easy this week. That means no runs, no interval circuits,no spin classes, no Crossfit classes-even though I was itching to get strong again. 

Sleeping in, indulging in many beers & doughnuts, and NOT following a training plan felt great. It doesn't mean I was sitting on a couch all day though. 

 

How to Get Over Being Sick Fast: Marathon Taper Update

So I've been in taper town and everything was going great until I woke up sick yesterday. Yes sick, as in I'm supposed to run 26.2 miles on Sunday and I've caught a cold from my boyfriend.  Don't worry I already yelled at him!  

I also JUST realized it's my second blogiversary. The celebration will have to wait until after Sunday I'm afraid! 

Once I felt the scratchy throat and post-nasal drip in the morning I immediately broke down in tears. Tapering makes you extra emotional, don't you know?  My first thought was how I spent 17 weeks and all summer training for a race that I'm not going to run. Or one that I'm going to try to run and suck at/it will suck. I'm going back and forth between telling myself I'll be fine by Sunday and the race will suck.  Trying to breathe deeply and smile, most of the time though!   

ON THE ROAD TO 26.2-WEEKS 15-17: TAPER