Blogging is Dying.

April 25, 2018 By Hollie in Reads Tags: blog, bloggers, blogging, digital, life, running, social media 68 Comments

Blogging is Dying.

There I said it.

I’ve actually had a document on my computer titled: “blogging is dying” for a couple of months now. Past that, I haven’t continued the post. Maybe I was waiting for the best moment to post it, maybe not. Either way, blogging is slowly dying.

I’ve contemplated writing this post for a while now, but I don’t know where to begin. It’s probably a mismatched bunch of words that don’t flow together but when is that anything new?

So here we go:

I started blogging in 2010 when blogging was beginning to grow. Everyone was blogging!

It was the new thing to do instead of writing a Facebook update that was 10 pages long. I think in 2010, I followed close to 20 blogs. I was captivated by their writing, and it ranged from runners, to triathletes, to even a chocolate blog (you know).

I followed people with similar interests. Most people were posting at least a few times a week, if not more. To be honest, I think most blogs posted daily, which I did too!

2012-2014, continued the trend and blogging continued to grow. As the years went by, new social media was created.

There were so many new platforms:

Instagram: To take photos of everything you did!

Twitter: To write short burbs and updates about life!

Facebook pages: When one facebook isn’t enough, get two!

Pinterest and more (to save blogs, recipes, and whatever else you’ll read or follow up on!

I remember kicking my feet at getting twitter…ugh another thing, I couldn’t keep up. I ultimately got most of them, except for Pinterest, because I just pin cat memes.

Then 2013 was a big year for me. I moved four times: New York to Virginia to Texas to New Jersey. I ran my first marathon, and moved in with a boyfriend at the time who put a ring on it (yes Tim). It was the year where I had no idea what I wanted to do. I lived off of savings, made some money blogging, and just job searched like any early 20 year old.

In 2014, life settled down a little bit (not much, but enough). My husband and I got engaged, settled in NJ, and I finally set a half marathon PR. 2014 for blogging was probably my “biggest year”.

What does biggest in blogging even mean?

Most page views? Most engagement? Most money made?

All three!

Then in 2014, a lot of things on the internet changed. Social media channels began to grow, and many runners turned to Instagram to document and give running advice. I tried to go that route with long blog post captions but quickly realized I liked Instagram for taking photos of pretty places. It isn’t my personal preference to write a novel caption about how inspired I was to get out there.

I run and come home. I don’t have an inspiring story about every run, I just get out there and do it. I’m just a woman in the Garden State trying to make it look cool. I don’t like to post half-naked photos and don’t like to give advice about running. I don’t want my account to be running only and don’t want to create a separate Instagram account for my personal life either.

My Instagram is my life whether I have a blog or not. It isn’t limited to running, because my life isn’t limited to running. Maybe I’ll never have a niche, but that is fine. My blog talks more about my training and life, while Instagram is just photos and short captions. A couple of weeks ago, my husband I celebrated our anniversary. Not running, but part of my life.

Celebrating our 3 year anniversary.

A post shared by Hollie (@fueledbylolz) on Apr 12, 2018 at 4:39pm PDT

Anyway, with the growth of Instagram and other social media, came the slow fall of blogging.

It isn’t just blogging that has fallen, and many running publications have ceased too. For instance, Competitor magazine only exists online. Runners World was acquired by Hearst.

This post isn’t too bash anything or anyone. It’s just to briefly explain what I’ve observed in the last several years. It’s not the only view, and for some their blog has gotten bigger, which is great!

In summary, social media such as Instagram has grown. People would prefer free advice versus paying, and to be honest, people don’t want or have the time and interest to read blogs anymore.

So How do You Support Blogs?

The easiest way to support any blogger or let them know you’re reading is occasionally comment (and no I’m not begging for comments). Commenting or sharing posts/articles are two big ways to support bloggers without doing much.

Many people have told me in person, “love your blog” and to be honest I’m shocked they read. Sure, right now I average about 500 page views a day, but I rarely get more than 1-2 comments per post, so I have no clue who reads, if anyone! No one is a mind reader. I don’t expect anyone to read, but it’s always nice to hear from people who are.

I will still blog because I like too. I’ve stopped blogging every day, but I’ll continue to blog. This post is not meant to be negative, or put anyone down. It’s just the trend i’ve noticed throughout several years of blogging (which of course different people notice different things).

Questions for you:

How long have you been blogging? Is blogging dying? Discuss?

Saucony Triumph ISO 4 Shoe Review

February 21, 2018 By Hollie in Gear Review, Reads, Running Tags: fitness, run, running, shoes, workouts 3 Comments

Recently, I integrated the Saucony Triumph ISO 4 into my rotation. It’s one of the few shoes I seem to try each updated model. In summary, I personally liked the original Triumph ISO the best. As the shoe is updated more, I’ve found other Saucony shoes that I like better included the Freedom and even the cheaper Saucony Ride 10.

Fit:

The fit is different than the Triumph 3 and actually reminds me a lot more of both the original Triumph ISO and the Triumph ISO 2. The shoe is actually a little longer than the 3, but still narrow. Throughout the years, I’ve worn anywhere from a 9.5-10.5 wide in the Triumph. This year, I find the 10 wide to be the best fit for me.

I found an interesting issue, I haven’t had before with the Triumph that the midfoot is much more snug. Typically, I have liked the Triumph ISO, because it is a wider shoe model. While there is sufficient room, I did find the updated model to be much narrower (even the wide) in the midfoot region.

Finally, if you have never run in Saucony shoes, the heel counter is much lower than other models. I’ve never had an issue “running or slipping out of the shoe,” and don’t know anyone who has, but it is something to be aware of! We have many people that come into work that don’t like the shoe because of the low heel. It’s also a hard shoe to put orthotics and inserts into.

Ride:

The Saucony ISO 4 has gone through a few significant changes. One is that the entire bottom is lined with the Everun foam. Previous models included about half EVA and half Everrun.

Now, it’s full Evverun.

Why does this matter? It makes the Saucony ISO 4 much firmer than previous models. It’s has become much more responsive, but still cushioned shoe. In fact, it’s much more similar to the Saucony Freedom.

Changing to an entire bottom of Everun means the shoe’s dynamic drastically changes. If you have run in the Saucony Freedom, it will feel much more similar. The Triumph ISO 4 feels much less soft and much firmer than the previous Triumph models.

Summary:

I do personally like the Saucony Triumph ISO 4. I’ve put just over 100 miles and not had an issue. While the midfoot is tighter than previous models, it’s not uncomfortable.
The shoe itself does feel drastically different, both in fit as well as ride. It’s definitely not a model of shoe I would buy blindly online.
Sadly, with the integration of the full bottom of Everrun, the retail price of the ISO 4 has gone up to $160.
Personally, I’ll continue running in it, and I think it’s one of the better versions Saucony has made in the last two years. The original ISO was still my favorite.

Keep in mind, these are all personal preferences. Saucony is not paying me to review their shoes. What works for me, might not work for you. All of our feet are different.

Current Rotation:

Daily Runs: Saucony Triumph ISO 4, Brooks Glycerin 15 and Hoka Clifton 4
Workouts: Altra Escalante, Nike Zoom Fly
Races: Saucony Type A and Saucony Endorphin

Questions for you:
What is your favorite running shoe?
Is there a model, you’ve run through several models?

60 Days with Collagen

February 15, 2018 By Hollie in Reads, Running, Running Reads Tags: collagen, fitness, health, run, supplements, wellness, workouts 7 Comments

Last month, I asked twitter what people preferred to see on LOLZ blog. This is a blog about my life, journey, running, training, fitness, diners, military life and run on sentences and poor grammar. While hard to classify what is LOLZ blog, it’s mainly about my life and journey. If readers are interested in something in particular than I always try to include it.

One thing that popped up was more about food and diet. Please keep in mind, I’m not an expert. I’m not a dietician, and I’m not a nutritionist. I do have a public health degree and took several college classes in health. I still have a hand in the general public health environment (and no, it not because I blog LOL), although not as much in the food realm.

Moving forward, I’ve decided to share a new supplement I’ve been taking over the last 60 days. With any review and supplement, I think it’s important to give it time. Like running shoes, you can’t say you “love” something after 1-2 runs and you certainly can’t know a supplement is life changing after a week.

That being said, I started taking Collagen with Vital Proteins 2 months ago, and I’ve found myself recovering faster from workouts and runs. Vital proteins sent me the original sample, but because I’ve found myself to be successful with it, so I’ve continued to purchase!

What is Collagen?

When Vital Proteins contacted me, I wasn’t familiar with every benefit of Collagen. I knew what Collagen was, but that was about it.

Collagen is a protein in the body found in muscles, bones, skin, nails, joints, the digestive system, and tendons.

Why Supplement and Why Vital Proteins?

While yes collagen exists in food, it’s hard to find. Due to the nature of collagen, it comes from the broth of animals. That is why you see more and more athletes drinking bone broth! Here is a few source of natural collagen:

Bone Broth
Eggs are one of the other few foods to contain collagen
Salmon

Thinking out loud, as delicious as both eggs and salmon are, it’s nearly impossible to eat them every day. That is why finding a supplement like Vital Proteins is worth it.

My favorites as of now are:

Bone Broth
Tasteless Collagen (you can add this to anything, right now I like to add it to my hot cocoa)
Coconut Collagen Creamer

Like protein powder, Vital Proteins dissolves well in water. Each scoop contains 35-40 calories and about 10 grams of protein. It also includes your daily dose of collagen. I feel healthy just thinking about it!

Why is Collagen Great for Runners?

Joint Health

Runners are constantly pounding their joints. This decreases the cartilage in the knees and other areas. In the running world, it’s not uncommon to hear athletes talk about “bone on bone” and needing surgery to repair it.

How does Collagen Help your Knees?

Increases lubrication around joints to make more mobile
Helps to increase bone density (A BIG ONE FOR RUNNERS!)
Reduces inflammation around joints and improves healing of connective tissues
Every seving contains 10 grams of protein in 35-45 calories.

Lastly, Skin Health!

One huge benefit outside of running is Collagen helps to replace dead skin cells. If you know me, you know I’ve never had perfect, flawless skin. I suffered from acne in high school as well as adult acne a few years ago. No amount of makeup or Instagram filter made it better. I do see a dermatologist, which has been great but I’ll never have perfect skin. Collagen doesn’t treat acne or medical conditions but it will help to replace dead skin cells and make your skin look smoother. I can personally say I’ve had success with that.

While Vital Proteins, sent me an initial sample, I’ve now been using and purchasing it for myself. I feel better, and my skin looks better, and it’s something I’ve found helpful for me!

Questions for you:

Do you take any supplements?

Have you ever tried a collagen supplement?

New Balance 880 Shoe Review

January 24, 2018 By Hollie in Gear Review, Reads, Running, Running Reads Tags: fitness, health, new balance, run, running, shoes, sports 3 Comments

I haven’t run in many New Balance Shoes since college. Since working at a running store the last few years, I’ve tried New Balance shoes on, but I’ve never run a significant amount of mileage in them. The only New Balance shoe I’ve tried in the past few years is the New Balance Fresh Foam Zante.

After a couple hundred miles, I realized it wasn’t enough cushion for me and looked cute so I made it a kick around shoe. The 880v7 sells well at our store and it’s a comfortable shoe. Since I’ve been enjoying various models and brands lately, I thought it would be the perfect time to come back to the brand. The 880 is a neutral shoe and lift weight shoe. It’s the 7th version, but I haven’t run in any of the previous versions.

I’m not sponsored by New Balance, nor are they paying me to write this. My opinions are my own.

Fit:

I haven’t run in previous models but based on trying previous versions I can tell the 880v7 is wider. The shoe itself comes in both wide and double wide.

Like many current styles of running shoes, the 880v7 has a seamless upper which accommodates bunions and wider feet. New Balance is usually known to fit more full feet and to be honest, I find this to be one of the widest neutral shoes out there. I usually wear 10-10.5 wide in shoes, and in the 880v7 I wear a 10 in the 880.